Torchlight vigils in Shropshire for nurses strike

People around Shropshire are set to gather to show their support for the nurses strike taking place today.

Torches and candles will be used to light their way, as the vigils are taking place outside various Member of Parliament offices.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing across England voted in favour of strike action over pay and working conditions.

Gill George is the Chair of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Defend Our NHS, and organised the rallies taking place tonight.

She said: "We're asking people to turn out and show the strong voice that the NHS matters to all of us. We have to invest in it and value it and value those people who provide our healthcare that all of us depend on.

"We are losing the NHS now, this is a predictable crisis. It's caused by twelve years of underfunding and by catastrophic lack of investment in staff. It has to be sorted out."

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Obviously we would continue to urge unions to step back from strike action, which will have an impact on patient care.

"We know in the first round of strikes 11,000 appointments were cancelled. So it's inevitable that this, on a larger scale, will have a larger impact and that is hugely regrettable at a time when the health service is under significant pressure.

"We feel like there have been constructive talks with the unions and we'd want those to continue rather than taking to the picket lines."

The vigils are at Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, Telford and Wellington.