A SPITFIRE emblazoned with handwritten names has flown over Hereford County Hospital.

The “Thank U NHS” Spitfire roared in the skies above the Midlands flying over several hospitals on Tuesday (August 18).

The firm behind the trip, the Aircraft Restoration Company’ has been asking for nominations from the public for names of loved ones they want to see painted onto the body of the blue photo-reconnaissance Spitfire.

Raising money for NHS Charities Together, the plane will be making more trips around the country and has capacity for some 80,000 names.

“The response to our initial flight over the last 8pm #clapforourcarers Thursday was incredibly humbling, with hundreds of people from the local community sharing how wonderful it was to not only see the Spitfire, but also to read the message emblazoned across its wings,” said the firm’s managing director John Romain.

“After such positive response we decided to leave the message painted on the Spitfire for the rest of the flying season, this is where the idea to hand write the names of the nation’s loved ones onto the aircraft to raise money for the NHS Charities Together began.”

The iconic Spitfire took off from Duxfield Airfield, near Cambridge, at 10am on Tuesday (August 18), and after flying over hospitals including those in Rugby, Birmingham and Telford, it flew over Ludlow Community Hospital at around 11.02am and Hereford County Hospital 10 minutes later.