A LONE Spitfire will complete a flypast over The Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle today...

It will be part of a unique fundraising event for NHS Charities Together and an impressive thank you to the many NHS workers who have battled to get the country through the pandemic.

Written on the underside of iconic aircraft will be the slogan THANK U NHS.

The plane involved - painted blue - had a specialist wartime role in photo-reconnaissance.

For today's event, it has been covered with the handwritten names of NHS heroes and heroines as part of the fundraising exercise.

There was room on the Spitfire for up 80,000 names - and nominations are still open.

A spokeswoman for the organisers said: "The names will be nominated by the public as a way of recognising small acts of kindness throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

"From a family member to a kind neighbour, close friend or community hero, the public can now thank them with this special gesture. In return for their donation, their nominated name will be one of those written on the Spitfire, which has an 80,000 name capacity. As the names are added, the UK will be able to watch this extraordinary visual spectacle unfold....

"The aim is to lift the spirits of those across the UK, whilst also thanking the hospitals, communities and individuals who have been at the forefront of getting the country through the pandemic."

Each nomination comes on the back of a minimum £10 donation for Charities Together.

The flypast is scheduled to happen in Carlisle at 2.45pm, after which the Spitfire will continue its hospital flypasts north of the border.

For more information about the event, go to www.aircraftrestorationcompany.com/nhsspitfire or look at the event's JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nhsspitfire