News and Events

BU Nurses Honoured to Lead Lamp Procession

2 May 2007

For the first time ever, student nurses from BU will feature prominently in the service to celebrate the life of Florence Nightingale.

Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing and known the world over as the ‘Lady with the Lamp’.

Her birthday is celebrated every year with a procession in London’s Westminster Abbey.

This year’s procession on Wednesday 9 May, will be lead by 24 Bournemouth nursing students.

Dr Gail Thomas, Dean of the University’s Institute of Health and Community Studies, and Di Haliwell, Academic Head of Acute and Continuing Care Nursing, will also take part as a lamp is taken from the Nurse’s Chapel in the Abbey and handed, in succession, from one nurse to another.

This part of the ceremony signifies the passing of knowledge from one to another, and concludes when the lamp is placed in the High Altar of the Abbey.

This is the first time that Bournemouth students have had the honour of leading the lamp procession.

It could be the University’s only opportunity for many years to come, as there are approximately 80 schools of nursing in the UK, and the invitation to take part is offered to each on a rotational basis.

This makes it unlikely that Bournemouth will be asked again for some time to come.

The service in London is attended by some 2,000 people from around the world, including leading politicians and prominent healthcare professionals.

The Chelsea Pensioners also attend the Service in recognition of the tremendous work undertaken by Florence Nightingale in reforming the armed forces during her lifetime.

The Westminster Abbey service is organised each year by the Florence Nightingale Foundation on a date close to her birthday, which is 12 May.

At the Westminster Abbey Service there is also a procession of the Nurses' Roll of Honour in remembrance of those Nurses who gave their lives in the Second World War while caring for the sick and wounded, and whose names are recorded in the Nurses' Chapel.

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