AT Nottingham's hospitals, hundreds of people have written poignant messages thanking nurses for their everyday efforts.
Their messages are scrawled across giant boards which stand at the entrance to the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital.
And the important role that nurses play is made abundantly clear by the number of people who have taken a moment out of their day to write a simple message, most of which contain the words "thank you".
And nurses across the city will be involved in a weekend of celebrations, with a whole host of events planned, as Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) recognises the work its nurses do.
The director of nursing and midwifery at the trust, Jenny Leggott, will be delivering cakes and giving personal thanks to nursing staff across all the wards.
Mrs Leggott will also be holding a tea party for retired nurses.
And today, nurses from Nottingham Children's Hospital, based at the QMC, will be holding a charity car wash to raise money for the NG7 food bank.
May 12 is International Nurses' Day, and throughout the month, people are encouraged to celebrate nursing.
Mrs Leggott said: "Our nurses are exceptional people who do extraordinary jobs. We wanted to do something different this year to thank our nurses and midwives for their hard work and commitment to do the very best job for patients.
"The 'thank you' walls are a public, visual display of appreciation from our patients, relatives and carers."
NUH chief executive Peter Homa said: "In a year when there has been much negative publicity surrounding nursing care, it is vitally important that we work even harder to express our sincere gratitude for the special contributions of our nurses and midwives.
"We have a wonderful, dedicated team of nurses and midwives at NUH who make a real difference to patients' lives every day of the year. I know from the many colleagues I have spoken to just how much these celebrations and gestures of appreciation mean and I wish to thank the people of Nottingham, and of course the Nottingham Post, for supporting our efforts to celebrate nurses and midwives."
Nominations for the Post's People's Nurse of the Year competition closed on Thursday.
The shortlisted nominees will be featured on our special supplement to be published this summer, and readers' votes will determine the overall winner.
There will be awards in three categories of nursing: adults, children and midwifery. The winner of each category will receive a glass trophy.
