The Psychological Therapies Service at St John’s approached us last year asking if there was anything we could do to brighten up the waiting area and public corridors of their department. After a visit to the department and meeting with the team we invited artist Vanessa Lawrence to deliver a series of watercolour workshops for service users and staff to create their own works to brighten up the space.

The department staff team and participants have been brilliant. We have been really impressed and excited by the level of creativity and skill they brought to the workshops. Once the workshops and works were complete we had an afternoon with participants and staff to select works they would like to see framed and hung in the department. In total we selected 51 different sized watercolours to liven up these important patient areas.

“What a fantastic opportunity for patients and staff. The sessions that I have been involved with have felt very therapeutic and the artwork produced has been incredible. It has been really lovely to interact with patients in a different way and see the joy that taking part in such a course has created for them. I can’t wait to see the pieces framed and up in the waiting area!”  Sinead Murray, Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology