Nurse shares fond memories of closed down hospital

It was a key part of the community for more than 130 years and now Accrington Victoria Hospital is being remembered in its very own exhibition.

The hospital, which was located on Haywood Road in Accrington closed in December after East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust deemed the building not fit for purpose.

Ann Parkinson, a former staff nurse who worked on the wards at the hospital for 46 years, said: "It was small, everybody knew everybody, and it was fabulous."

The 77-year-old said an exhibition in the town's library, which includes newspaper cuttings, photographs and medical instruments, "brings back a lot of memories".

"Some of the people in the exhibition were part of Accrington Victoria," she said.

"There are a lot of colleagues on these pictures, colleagues who have passed away."

Her long service in nursing was recognised in 2004 when she was invited to open a new suite in the hospital along with MP Greg Pope.

A plaque erected had their names on and remained on the wall of the Victoria Suite until the hospital's closure.

After the exhibition the plaque will be given to Ms Parkinson to keep and "maybe put at the front door".

"And what's even lovelier is that I now always have a little piece of Accrington Victoria to cherish," she said.

The hospital closed in December after the building was found to be beyond repair.

Large parts of the hospital, built in 1894, had issues with ceilings collapsing, asbestos and broken boilers.

Its future has not yet been decided, but the trust's chief executive, Martin Hodgson, said they would not demolish or sell the building but would work with the community and council to find a new use for it.

"It needs to be something that can be used by the community," Ms Parkinson said.

"As long as they don't pull it down, that would be very sad."

The exhibition will run at Accrington Library until the end of April.

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