The university has been awarded £785,000 of National Lottery funding for its project From Cradle to Grave: The NHS at 70, which will mark the 70th anniversary of the British institution.

The money will enable volunteers from a range of ages and backgrounds to gather stories from the NHS’s history. Patients and workers will be interviewed, as well as politicians and the general public, recording the NHS’s unique place in everyday, post-war British life.

These testimonies will be captured in a range of formats – young people will be trained to become community reporters, filming interviews in their local areas; others will be captured through stories and artifacts.

This project will capture and present the story of this much-loved national treasure for future generations.

Ros Kerslake, former Chief Executive, the Heritage Fund

An innovative new website will allow the public to submit their stories of the NHS by uploading recordings, photos and documents.

All these will contribute to a multimedia, publicly accessible record of the NHS, filling existing gaps in its history, and recording the personal stories that make the service so unique.

Commenting on the award, Project Director, Stephanie Snow said: “We urgently need to capture the memories of the first generations who worked and were cared for by this unique institution as they are now in their 80s and 90s.”

The university will undertake initial development work, focusing on the North West of England and South Wales, working with Age UK, the Mental Health Foundation, Rethink, the Stroke Association, NHS England and the NHS Confederation.

Ros Kerslake, former Chief Executive of the Heritage Fund, said: “This fantastic project will capture the rich heritage of the NHS, as it reaches its 70th birthday. We were particularly impressed by the number and range of people who will be involved in the project, receiving training to capture and present the story of this much-loved national treasure for future generations.”