The midwifery team at Noble’s Hospital is inviting women who have given birth in the island to join a special occasion event next Wednesday, May 22.

This event, held in place of the International Day of the Midwife, will take place from 2pm to 4pm at the Keyll Darree building on the Noble’s Hospital site.

The celebration aims to highlight the evolution of the island’s maternity services over the past century, with a focus on the experiences of mothers from different generations.

Light refreshments will be provided, and the team is particularly interested in hearing from older mothers about how their experiences compare to those of today.

In addition to the celebration, the event will feature the burial of a time capsule.

This capsule will contain photographs of current teams and wards, statistics from April 2024, and various documents such as pay structures, charts, and job role descriptions.

The capsule is intended to be unearthed in 2044, providing future midwives with a snapshot of the present-day maternity services.

It will be buried in the outdoor quadrant overlooked by the maternity ward at Noble’s Hospital and marked by Sammie Stork, a cherished decoration that has been part of the Jane Crookall Maternity Department since its inception. Regan Baggley, senior midwife, said: ‘This event is not only an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful team that we have on-island but also for women all over the island to share their experiences of maternity care over the years.

‘We hope that women will come and share their experiences with us and as professionals we can share how care and service delivery has changed over the last 60 to 100 years.

‘We are burying a time-capsule so that the midwives of 2044 will be able to see how things may have changed in 20 years.’