THIS month people across the world will be recognising the hard work of nurses.

On May 12 it is International Nurses Day which marks the contributions that nurses make to our society.

It is a day to recognise the important role of nurses around the world and is held on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the modern founder of nursing.

The day has been celebrated by the International Nurses' Council since 1965 and began to be acknowledged on May 12 in 1974.

Each year, ICN prepares and distributes the International Nurses' Day Kit.

The kit contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as annual National Student Nurses' Day in the US.

Each year a service is held in Westminster Abbey in London. During the service, a symbolic lamp is taken from the Nurses' Chapel in the Abbey and handed from one nurse to another, thence to the Dean, who places it on the High Altar.

Nurses ensure that they provide the best quality to those they care for and it is described as a highly skilled, safety critical profession.

These photos show what nurses have done over the years in Cumbria. We can see a group of Carlisle nurses receiving a prize in 1973, a fundraiser for The Cumberland Infirmary, a centenary event being held in Carlisle, a fundraiser supporting nurses in Dalston, and a conference at Rheged in Penrith.

Other photos show a cheque being presented at West Cumberland Hospital, a Silloth care home receiving an award, and nurses welcoming children to the hospital in 1974.