School kids bring a splash of colour to children’s ward

A school project which had a sprinkle of Hollywood, a dash of Banksy and a splash of colour has been unveiled at Grimsby hospital.

A patient room used for adolescent children on the Rainforest ward has received a make-over thanks to year five pupils at Scartho Junior Academy School.

The walls are now adorned with seven colourful, original artworks researched, designed and produced by the artistic youngsters.

The three-month project was launched with the aim of creating a relaxing environment of colour for the patients. The school children embarked on their task by watching Pixar movie Inside Out.

They wanted to see how colours can reflect moods so they thought the film would be a great starting point to their art adventure. Next they researched a variety of artists including Banksy and Britto to get a feel for what they wanted to do.

The children started their designs and through a process of critique and multiple drafting they perfected their pieces ready for a ‘celebration of learning’ event which showcased all of the 64 pieces of art.

They had to narrow it down to just seven pieces for the project, so they put the power in the hands of the audience and asked them to vote for their favourites. They narrowed it down to 15 and asked them to pick the seven best.”

Once they were selected, together with the help of a local artist the pieces were turned into real works of art ready to be displayed on the Rainforest ward.

Megan, 10, said: “I’m really proud and hope the next generation love it. I’m really pleased with how it has turned out.

“Hopefully it will make people feel happy and change their mood.”

Ward sister Sally Trevers said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in this project. The artwork has made a real difference to the room, which is used by children to relax while they are in hospital.”