91Èȱ¬

"Love letters" to the NHS, written by stars including Sir Paul McCartney and Dame Emma Thompson, are to appear in a new charity book.

Dear NHS: 100 Stories to Say Thank You, will also feature contributions by Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais.

The book, which will raise funds for NHS Charities Together and The Lullaby Trust, has been curated by

"Every single one of us owes so much to the NHS," he said.

"It is our single greatest achievement as a nation, always there for us and never more so than now."

Kay noted how the project was "conceived barely a week ago," and how he's been "blown away" by the number of high-profile people willing to volunteer their stories, like Sir Michael Palin, Dawn French and Graham Norton, as well as Emilia Clarke and Louis Theroux.

"I hope that the book, and the money it raises for charity, will in some way manage to say thank you to the heroes who are putting our lives before their own every day."

Sirs Trevor McDonald and David Jason; Joanna Lumley and Peter Kay have also added to the collection of tales, which will be released on 9 July.

Follow us on , or on Twitter . If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk, external