Bringing Christmas joy to the hospice!

Father Christmas arrived early at East Lancashire Hospice thanks to a collaborative piece of artwork painted and designed by staff, patients, visitors and volunteers.

Due to the major refurbishment at the hospice, Rachel Shovelton, End Of Life Care Educator, came up with the idea of ‘the Wall Art Project’, brightening the corridors and disguising the mundane temporary walls.

As well as the beautiful countryside view and stream (featured in an earlier blog) drawn by patients, visitors, staff and volunteers, a Christmas scene was also added.

Rachel, a keen painter herself, has overseen the project. She said: “A number of temporary walls have gone up at the hospice and it doesn’t look very nice - so we did something about it.”

The Christmas scene is the first thing you see as you go down the stairs at the hospice. It features a Christmas tree with baubles, a chimney scene with cards on the mantle and a pair of legs down the chimney.

The hospice was given a helping hand from Nimtech, an award-winning social enterprise scheme partnered with Crown Paints in Darwen.

Rachel said: “A lot of people travel along the corridor to get to inpatients and often family members and friends take a moment in this space.

“It’s constantly being added to and we have had lots of positive comments from visitors.”