This year marks the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the National Health Service (NHS).

It was introduced by the then Health Minister Aneurin Bevan on July 5, 1948, as part of a sweeping package of reforms by the post-war Labour Government of Clement Attlee.

Based on the earlier recommendations of the 1942 Beveridge Report, it promised free health care – including free dentistry – to everyone who needed it.

Previously, help had been available only to those who could afford private treatment or were lucky enough to be treated by a charity.

Today, the service is clearly going through something of a crisis – with nurses, doctors and ambulances workers all feeling the need to strike.

Although in the initial years following the foundation of the NHS the number of GPs rapidly expanded, we also all know how difficult it is to secure an appointment – even a telephone consultation – with a GP today.

As for trying to register with an NHS dentist dentist – good luck!

Still the NHS manages to treat around 1.3m people every day.

And if the system is stretched to breaking that's partly because not only are there far more people to treat, but scientific advances have vastly increased the range of treatments available.

Looking back, surely all of us have some reason to be grateful to the NHS and its staff?

To mark this significant anniversary, Maidstone council is planning a special event in honour of the NHS.

It would like to exhibit photos, mementoes and memories of the NHS hospitals in Maidstone and its villages over the years.

If you have a picture of your local hospital ward, or a particular memory of working for the NHS over that period, the council would love to hear from you.

Perhaps you were an employee or patient when the new Maidstone Hospital opened? Or maybe you have some great photographs of the old hospitals in and around the borough that you can share?

There was Linton Hospital, the Kent County Sanitorium, the Kent County Ophthalmic and Aural Hospital, West Kent General Hospital, Maidstone General Hospital, Oakwood Hospital and Preston Hall to name a few.

The council will be working with Maidstone Museum and the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to present the exhibition that will run from July 1 through to October 8.

Cllr Claudine Russell, lead member for arts, said: "The exhibition will be a fantastic way to pay tribute to the work of our NHS in Maidstone.

"While the service covers many healthcare provisions, in this exhibition, we will be focussing on the staff and hospitals that have been and gone from Maidstone.

"It would be great to include the memories of the people at the heart of the service and we would love to hear from them if they would like to share their stories and be part of this event."

Send your stories and digital photographs by email to alexgurr@maidstone.gov.uk