IT'S 70 days until the NHS celebrates its 70th birthday and Bournemouth Hospital Charity wants everyone to celebrate by organising a tea party.

The NHS Big7Tea will be a chance for people throughout the UK to come together and toast 70 years of the NHS on Thursday July 5.

Debbie Anderson, Head of Fundraising at Bournemouth Hospital Charity, said tea was one of the NHS's proud traditions.

"It was originally served to patients in traditional fine cups with saucers and side spoon and was considered an important aspect of patient satisfaction and recovery," she said. "Tea brings us all together. It breaks down social boundaries and, like the NHS and NHS charities, is a symbol of comfort and community."

Now she wants people to organise their own tea party to celebrate the NHS and the work of the 250 NHS charities across the UK, like the one at Bournemouth.

"In recent years Bournemouth Hospital Charity has funded the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s Jigsaw Building, CT and ultrasound scanners and specialist education, helping patients access the best possible care when they need it most," she said.

Now they are raising funds for a Mini MRI Scanner as a 'very special 70th Birthday present' for RBH.

*To download your free NHS Big 7Tea pack, visit www.nhsbig7tea.co.uk