A special screening of The Spirit of '45 with Q & A and discussion with director Ken Loach and Peterborough’s very own Lisa Forbes MP.

The Spirit of ’45 is a documentary by director Ken Loach’s. Loach brings his characteristic passion and political fervour to the story of the foundation of the welfare state by the newly elected Labour government directly after the second world war.

Voted into power in a landslide victory, new leader Clement Attlee pushed through landmark social reforms resulting in the nationalisation of industry and the creation of the National Health Service. Under the visionary stewardship of health minister Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan, the NHS offered free healthcare for all, providing a comfort for a population fearful that the country would slip back into the deprivation and extreme poverty for the working classes of the prewar years.

Celebrating a moment in our history when the public spirit seemed buoyed by a new dawn in British politics and society, Loach draws on testimonials from nurses, doctors, miners and politicians who lived through these changes, illustrating their first-hand memories with a wealth of archive film from the time. The director’s purpose is not just to memorialise the past, but to warn against losing sight of the era’s idealism and achievement.