On June 16^th we gathered with over 300 of our loyal supporters to celebrate 10 years of the David Nott Foundation, at a ‘Decade of Difference’ – an opportunity to say thank you, and to reflect, at London’s Imperial War Museum.

The setting, with guests mingling in the museum’s atrium under a Spitfire suspended from above, a T34 tank and a damaged Reuters Land Rover on ground level, was a reminder of the conflict zones in which we work, and our ultimate beneficiaries: the victims of war.

Our Co-Founders, David and Elly Nott and our CEO, James Gough presented speeches which focused on a decade of surgical training in a world of grim news, but drawing on the stories of resilience and hope.

David explained: ‘There are certain times in your life when all the stars line up to produce something that is so extraordinary, it makes it impossible not to believe in destiny created by God. The first star was when I was in Aleppo in 2013, in those dark days dealing with tens of hundreds of wounded patients, was when I discovered the value of not just operating, but teaching surgery in a war zone empowering local surgeons to continue to perform and to provide the right care after I’ve gone home.’

Heston® our anatomically-correct human war wound simulator was present at the party, and drew a lot of attention as guests inspected the range of injuries seen in war, which allows doctors the opportunity to visualise wounds such as head trauma or limb damage.

The Côr Y Boro Welsh Choir opened the night, and the Joe Thompson trio took over with some exquisite jazz for the remainder of the evening, providing the perfect audio backdrop for our team, our broad circles of supporters and our beneficiaries to connect and celebrate our work.

Elly Nott said: ‘Looking through the photographs of the last ten years, I was reminded of so many remarkable moments…2,158 doctors trained since 2015, and beyond that number – the stories.

Stories of those who have been saved and helped, lives that have been transformed, and the reassurance and comfort that those skilled doctors have provided. Every single one of you has helped shape the last decade.

Our CEO, James Gough rounded off the speeches with a toast to the victims of war – the people who have been the focus of our work for this past decade, and who will continue to be central focus of our work for the next.

By training frontline doctors we can envisage a world where safe, skilled surgical care is available for all.