£12,500 Artswork Funding Made Available To Transform Children’s Ward Garden At St Mary's Hospital

Wednesday, 8 November 2023 10:43

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

Thanks to £12,500 funding from Artswork, Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s Youth Forum is looking for a creative practitioner.

The move aims to help them transform an outside space into a garden that young people, aged 11+, can relax and have fun in when staying on, or visiting, the Children’s Ward.

Paediatric Consultant at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Emma Blake, said:

“This is particularly useful for young people with neurodiversity, sensory needs or mental health challenges.

"All children will benefit.”

The commission is part of Artwork’s Young Cultural Changemakers programme.

This empowers young people on the Isle of Wight and in four other areas across the South East to lead on significant creative projects in their local area, transforming their lives and those of their neighbours.

Isle of Wight creatives have until 10am on Monday 27 November to apply.

To enable the project to go ahead, volunteers from Isle of Wight Rotary are currently raising funds to clear the space and fit new decking by the end of the year, so that the young people and the creative they appoint can transform the garden between January and March 2024.

The Youth Forum – a group of 14- to 18-year-olds who advocate for children and young people who use the hospital – worked with artist Polly Zarnardi.

Using collage to develop the creative brief, they explored how the space could be used to meet the needs of a wide range of young people, in terms of function, accessibility, sensory considerations and aesthetics.

Young patients at the hospital have also contributed their ideas.

Their priorities include creating a multifunctional garden – sometimes it will be used as a quiet space to ‘get away from it all’, sometime for socialising, sometimes for fun and games.

It needs to be accessible for users of mobility aids and should include sensory spaces.

The young people favour a nature-inspired aesthetic.

Isle of Wight Rotary has been involved with maintaining the garden for the past decade, with an initial steam railway-inspired refurbishment completed in memory of James Sparks.

Shortlisted applicants will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to the young people at a Dragons Den style event on Thursday December 7 from 6pm to 8pm.

Anyone wishing to contribute to Isle of Wight Rotary’s fundraising for the garden can do so online.

£12,500 Artswork Funding Made Available To Transform Children’s Ward Garden At St Mary's Hospital

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