The Royal College of Nursing Southeast region has commemorated Florence Nightingale today, August 13 at 1pm on the anniversary of her death.

The service took place at St Margaret’s Church, East Wellow where Florence is buried.

RCN Southeast board chair, Ged Swinton, interim regional director, Sarah Johnston and student committee member, Cyzel Gomes attended to pay their respects and to mark the occasion of Florence Nightingale’s death by laying flowers at her memorial.

Ged Swinton said: “As board chair of RCN Southeast region and as a Hampshire nurse, I am here to give thanks for and commemorate the life of Florence Nightingale who laid the foundations of nurses being patient safety champions, innovators of practice and patient advocates.

“This is a time to reflect not only on the lifetime and achievements of this one extraordinary nurse, but also represents an opportunity for our present-day nurses to pause and consider the exceptional work they carry out every day caring for and improving the lives of their patients.

“I also hope this offers the general public a moment to think about the sacrifices and dedication shown by today’s nursing workforce, particularly over the last 18 months, and how we need to support them and inspire new nurses to enter the profession so that they can continue to care for our friends and families into the future.”

Florence was born in 1820 on May 12 and died in 1910.

She is remembered as a statistician and a teacher of nursing who founded the modern way of nursing which we see today but also for the medical care she provided to wounded soldiers during the Crimean war.