NHS 75: Windrush nurse's 50 years of the NHS in Shropshire

Marjorie Brown worked in the NHS for 50 years after migrating to the UK as a teenager

A former nurse who worked for the NHS for 50 years has reflected on the growth of the health service on its 75th anniversary.

Marjorie Brown left her family in Trinidad and Tobago aged 17 to train as a nurse in Shrewsbury.

Now 75, the grandmother has reflected on the challenges she first faced and the importance of the NHS.

The publicly-funded healthcare system began in England on 5 July 1948.

This photograph was taken the day Ms Brown left Trinidad to start a new life as an NHS nurse in Shropshire

In 1965 the aspiring nurse was in the process of completing her O Level exams in her hometown of Sangre Grande, a town in the north-eastern part of Trinidad and Tobago.

She submitted an application to come to the UK to train and work at what was then known as the Cross Houses Hospital in Shrewsbury and in November she left her parents and nine siblings behind.

"We were led to believe that the training was better, it's a better country and there's a better chance of moving forward," she told Radio Shropshire.

"It was quite a big step, I didn't know when I would see my parents again."

She worked and lived at Cross Houses Hospital in Shrewsbury and trained in Copthorne

The ship docked in Southampton in England in December - three days before her 18th birthday.

From there she took a train to Birmingham then on to Shrewsbury.

"The assistant matron was responsible for the girls that came from abroad, she was like a mother," she said.

"She was always there for us, she would [wake] us up in the morning, make sure we had our uniforms, were up for our meals and guided us along.

"When we started at Cross Houses, it was hard work because in those days we didn't have all the fancy gear to lift people and get them in and out of the bath so two people had to do it physically."

Despite being physically demanding, Mrs Brown, who now lives in Leegomery, described her healthcare career as "the good days".

At the time, she earned £10 a month.

The grandmother who now lives in Leegomery has kept photographs from her first days in the UK

The former nurse added: "It was a little bit sad because I left my family home and came to a country that I knew nothing about.

"I felt at home, because there were more girls from Trinidad there, I felt like there was part of Trinidad there as well."

Since it was created in 1948, the NHS has provided universal access to healthcare for all residents in the UK, growing into the world's largest publicly funded health service, catering to the needs of more than 66 million people.

She left her nine siblings and parents behind in Trinidad and Tobago to start a new life as a nurse in the NHS

Mrs Brown said she had initially planned to stay in the UK for five years, however, her plans changed when she met her husband and started a family of her own.

"I've got a British passport now and this is my home because I've been here for 57 years."

Reflecting on the NHS, she said: "We all complain about certain things but it's better than other countries.

"In Trinidad, where I'm from, you have to pay for everything and if you haven't got the money to pay for it, the end result is not always very good."