A CHURCHTOWN woman was born into a new dawn for healthcare in the UK, 60 years ago.
Jean Kershaw, who celebrated her birthday last Saturday, was one of the first local 'NHS babies' who were delivered into the world on July 5, 1948.
She was born at Ormskirk Hospital soon after midnight on the 'Appointed Day' when the new, state-funded service came into being.
The timing ensured Jean's mother, Audrey Prescott née Livesley was saved from having to pay for midwife services.
Audrey, then of New Cut Lane, Ormskirk, but now living in Lincolnshire, was admitted to Ormskirk Hospital to have her first child on July 4.
Jean Kershaw née Livesley aged six months - she was one of the first NHS babies born locally
Jean said: "She told me that the midwife said to her that if you hang on to her long enough you won't have to pay a fee - otherwise you will have to pay a shilling."
Jean, a mother-of-two who works in reception and sales support at the Southport Visiter offices in Tulketh Street, said she was proud to share her birthday with that of the NHS, which had been "an improvement on what went before".
She added: "I'm pleased that my birth coincided with a milestone in history."
Jean Kershaw, who celebrated her 60th birthday last Saturday
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