A group of international nurses marked their two-decade-long career at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust with a celebratory event.

Recruited in 2004, most of the cohort worked at hospitals in Singapore and the Philippines.

Upon arriving in the UK, the trust organised accommodation and helped them ease into life in the North East.

For the first six months, the nurses worked in regional hospitals under mentors, following which they became fully qualified.

Most were joined by their families to start their new lives.

The celebration was a joyous occasion with the presence of their initial mentors and senior staff from the trust.

Nurse practitioner Ruthie Cuaycong, one of the recruited nurses, said: "It felt so great listening to everyone’s stories, and it was heart-warming having the opportunity to catch up.

"Two of my closest friends today are those who I shared accommodation with when I first came to the region."

Marion Dickson, executive director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, and executive director for Surgery and Community Services, said: "Our international staff have moved across the world to work for our trust and care for our patients which shows their commitment to providing high quality care."

The trust has restarted the recruitment of international nurses, welcoming staff from India, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland.