One of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre's first patients shared her memories of the hospital with 30 pupils from an Oxford school.

As part of an event to mark the history of the NOC in Headington, Joyce Sylvester, 84, met pupils from nearby Cheney School on Friday.

Mrs Sylvester, of Stone Street, Headington, first went to the hospital as a 14-year-old girl for treatment of scoliosis — curvature of the spine. Over the past 70 years, she has undergone 12 operations to straighten her spine and correct her rheumatoid arthritis.

She met 30 students from Cheney School, who are taking part in a project to trace the history of the NOC and its influence on surgery throughout the world.

The research will support their studies on the history of medicine for their GCSE courses.

Mrs Sylvester said: "I enjoyed seeing the pupils and the exhibits — their project sounds wonderful."

Patients and hospital staff will also be creating a mural to chart the NOC's history, right from its opening in 1921.

The project is being funded with a grant of £24,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and, on completion, the mural will be displayed in the main atrium.

Joanna Foster CBE, chairman of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, said: "We want to share our proud heritage with local people, and this event demonstrates our outstanding international reputation among orthopaedic surgeons and patients."