FORMER doctors and nurses are trying to raise £20,000 for an artwork at Oxford's first hospital.
Ex-employees of the Radcliffe Infirmary on Woodstock Road want to put a plaque on the side of the building.
A carving of a pair of hands would sit above an engraving of the poem 'These are the Hands' which was written to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the NHS in 2008.
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Former nurse Xante Cummings, who is leading the appeal, said: “We would like to raise the funds as soon as possible as we started this project in 2012 and would dearly love to see it completed.
"We have raised some money from members of the Radcliffe Guild of Nurses but we now need to appeal to the wider public to bring the project to fruition.”
The first proposals to build a hospital for Oxford were made in 1758 at a meeting of the Radcliffe Trustees, who administered the estate of Dr John Radcliffe.
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The hospital opened on St Luke's Day, October 18, 1770.
The ex-staff now want to acknowledge the role the building played in the medical history of Oxfordshire.
Ms Cummings added: “It would mean a great deal to us and the nurses who have supported us so far.”
Sponsor the project at gofundme.com/radcliffe-infirmary-commemorative-commission-ricc
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