Cumberland Infirmary and school team up for art project

The project, Unfold the Untold, features patients from Beech C and Elm C wards at the Cumberland Infirmary working with 12 children from Houghton C of E School to create stories through puppetry, crafts and art.

Susie Tate, project manager from Healing Arts, said: “This project is a continuation of a pilot last year which resulted in a book called The All Gas and Galloping Gang. The book is available on the wards for patients and visitors to read.

“Unfold The Untold uses the power of creative activities to enhance wellbeing and bring people together from across communities and generations through shared story telling.

“We are supporting young people at Houghton Primary and patients on Beech C and Elm C wards to express their voice through weekly co-creative sessions. Intergenerational conversations are enabled by our team acting as a ‘creative postal service’ between school children and hospital patients."

She said the creative post will contribute to an illustrated story book and resource pack that teachers can use to work with future students, and ward staff can use to build connections and conversations with their patients.

She added: “Last term we gathered the stories and asked patients what they would put on a paradise island.

“We have a patient with dementia who loves walking so we’ve been using his maps to reminisce about some of his walking stories and then feeding that back into the larger story.

“This term we’re looking at illustrating the book and pulling the stories together and moving the project on with illustrations and poems.”

The project also receives support from Admiral nurses, Meena Sarangapani and Moira Bray, who specialise in dementia care at NCIC.

The partnership fosters empathy and understanding among schoolchildren, while providing a creative outlet for hospital patients.