TEA parties have been taking place at hospitals and health centres across Cumbria to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS.

It was a chance for staff to take a break, enjoy a cuppa and a cake, and reminisce with colleagues about times gone by.

The major milestone was celebrated all over Cumbria, and across the rest of the country, as part of the Big 7-Tea.

In north and west Cumbria, hundreds of staff attended tea parties at both the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven on Thursday - the anniversary day.

In the south of the county, vintage tea parties were all the rage, taking place at both Furness General Hospital in Barrow and the Westmorland General at Kendal the same day.

Other hospitals, including Penrith and Wigton, along with GP surgeries across the county, have also held events.

Some hospital departments also threw their own parties, with patients keen to support the day and show their thanks to the NHS.

In Carlisle, year eight pupils from Trinity School baked their own NHS 70 cakes and took them to the infirmary to hand out to staff.

Among them was Sam Ferguson, who said: “We wanted to do it because the staff have to work long hours with little breaks and it’s nice to know they are appreciated."

At Brampton Medical Practice, staff held a tea party and also decorated their surgery window for the event.

Tracey Townsend, from the practice, said they found an old medical bag while having a clear out at the surgery.

It contained medical equipment that would have been in regular use around the time the NHS was established.

It proved a talking point and sparked the window display idea, giving patients a chance to see how times have changed.

There was also a celebration at Aspatria Medical Group's surgery, where staff opened their doors to the wider community on Thursday for refreshments. They also unveiled new artwork for the waiting room, created by pupils at Beacon Hill Community School.