A WHITEHAVEN nurse has been appointed the first ever honorary president of the Royal College of Nursing Cumbria Branch.

Ella Cullen, who has worked in nursing for almost 40 years, has also been a committed RCN activist for over 20 of them. Most recently she has worked as a charge nurse with Guardian Care Homes, in Cumbria.

Ella accepted the honour at a ceremony at the RCN regional office in Sunderland. The ceremonial chain was presented to her by the RCN’s national Deputy President, Bobbie Chadwick, and congratulations came from northern regional director Glenn Turp.

He said: “Ella has given a lifetime of service both to the nursing profession in Cumbria, and to the Royal College of Nursing. Her appointment as the first ever honorary president of Cumbria branch is very welcome, and I congratulate her on this appointment.”

Her role will be to act as an ambassador for both the RCN and the branch. She will preside over official RCN functions and support the branch in delivering the RCN’s aims.

The RCN is the largest nursing trade union in the world with around 400,000 members nationwide, including around 18,000 in the northern region.