NHS nurses who first met in Harrogate as teenagers hold 40th anniversary reunion

Alison Chatten, who is now a clinical nurse specialist at Wheatfields hospice in Leeds, was only 18 when came to Harrogate in 1983 to begin her NHS training at Harrogate General Hospital.

Little did she know she would go on to make friends for life or how much working in an NHS hospital would change in the decades to come.

"We were all so young when we arrived in Harrogate to train at the Harrogate School of Nursing," said Alison who was born Alison Dadd in Middlesborough.

"I remember there was one trainee from Follifoot and one from Knaresborough but, for most of us it was the first time we had been away from home without our parents.

"There was a lot of tears at the beginning.

"But Harrogate welcomed us with open arms."

Alison remembers her crop of fledgling nurses being training between four hospitals in the Harrogate area, most of which are now long gone.

There was the old General Harrogate Hospital on Knaresborough Road in Harrogate.

The new Harrogate District Hospital on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate.

The Royal Baths Hospital on Cornwall Road in Harrogate.

The Scotton Banks hospital on Ripley Road in Knaresborough.

"We all went into nursing because we cared,” said Alison.

"We weren’t money-driven at all.

"The old hospital on Knaresborough Road was an amazing place to train at, as we were a smallish group and the tutors were very attentive.”

Harrogate General Hospital on Knaresborough Road had been completed in 1932 before being subsumed into the National Health Service in 1948.

In the 1970s, the new Harrogate District Hospital was built on Lancaster Park Road.

As well as changes in nursing practice and medical advances, Alison says the whole atmosphere of nursing was very different then.

"Our uniforms were a bit like Florence Nightingale’s.

"But we were all proud to be wearing it even when walking in the street.

"We stayed in hospital accomodation and were well looked after.

"But it was really strict and old-fashioned even in the 1980s.

“You had to go to bed at a certain time and the matron would make sure the lights were turned off.

"No men were allowed in – obviously.

"We still had a lot of fun, as well as learning to be good nurses.”

The acknowledged ring leader in the preparations for the 40th anniversary reunion, Alison says they all lost touch a bit at a time over the years after they became qualified nurses in the NHS.

"Four or five of the old gang still work in Harrogate.

"I lived in the town for a long time but now live near Sicklinghall.

"My daughter lives near RHS Harlow Carr gardens.”

As well as their pride in dedicating 40 happy years to nursing in various roles since getting through their training all those years ago in Harrogate, Alison has an additional reason to be grateful to the town and the NHS.

"We used to go out nightclubbing in Harrogate,” said Alison.

"We used to like the Bali Hai club, which I think was on Commercial Street.

"That’s where I met my future husband one night.”