Royal Shrewsbury Hospital fun day marks 70 years of the NHS

About 500 runners took part in the 5k run around the hospital's grounds on Saturday and received a medal, goody bag and t-shirt when they reached the finish line.

A sculpture created by The British Ironwork Centre, near Oswestry, was also unveiled.

The sculpture, taking the form of a heart, was created using old pieces of equipment that can no longer be used or repaired such as obsolete blood pressure monitors, parts of hospital beds, microscopes, a former anaesthetic machine, a broken dialysis machine and wheelchairs.

The 5k run was organised in partnership with the Dolly Mixtures running club.

Claire Allen, who is a member of the running club, was one of those taking part.

The 64-year-old, of Llandrinio, said: "I've been listening to how the NHS started and the difficulties of getting it going.

"I think it's great and people tend to take it for granted because they've grown up with nothing else. People have particular reasons to thank the NHS. It's important we do support things like this."

From rock choirs to acoustic solo artists, a swinging 60s zone had music to suit all tastes.

Rowan Richards runs the Shropshire Rock Choir which belted out hits such as Don't Stop Believin'.

The 43-year-old, of Shrewsbury, said: "It's really nice to be part of an event supporting the NHS. It's fantastic. It looks like it's been well organised and very well attended."

Ellen Eagles, director of X-Strike Arena in Shrewsbury, was manning the Nerf gun arena.

She said: "It's great to support the NHS. I also work on the bank as a healthcare assistant for the trust. The hospitals are close to my heart."

The event, which was organised by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), also had a foodie 40s zone, which included a barbecue and fresh fruit and veg stand.

Dimitar Marinov owns Box of Goodness, an online fruit and veg delivery service based in Shrewsbury, which also has stands at RSH, Telford's Princess Royal Hospital and Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen.

The 35-year-old, of Shrewsbury, said: "We work closely with the NHS and try to encourage healthy eating at the hospitals.

"The NHS has come a long way. It's absolutely fantastic what they do. I can see how hard everyone is working.

"It's a really brilliant event and the weather is great as well."

Other activities included a football shoot-out, face painting, a storyteller and bouncy castle.

Custom-made, hand crafted steel butterflies were also being sold to help raise funds for SaTH Charity's dementia appeal.

A host of charities showcased their work and reservists from the 202 Field Hospital held interactive first aid demonstrations.

Inside the Shropshire Conference Centre, there was also a display of photos, memorabilia, interactive games and facts about the NHS in Shropshire since it was formed in 1948.

All of the money raised from the fun day and the fun run will go to SaTH charity’s living well with dementia appeal and the end of life care Swan Fund.