Garden murals help young patients express themselves

PATIENTS at a children’s mental health facility in Sheffield put their artistic skills to the test when they created a new mural in the centre’s grounds.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Aug 2011, 07:00 BST

Youngsters being treated at the Becton Centre for Children and Young People in Beighton joined artists and landscape gardeners in a large-scale outdoor art workshop to bring their ideas to life.

The large murals they created put the finishing touches to the gardens of the £12m centre, where the young patients can play, relax or grow their own fruit and vegetables.

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Catherine Powell, Arts for Health co-ordinator at The Children’s Hospital Charity in Sheffield, said: “I was really pleased to see how enthusiastically the children embraced the activity and the results are fantastic.

“Their work is now a permanent feature in the recently-completed gardens and can be enjoyed for a long time to come.”

Funding for the three new gardens – which were created by landscape gardener Tim Blundell-Jones – was provided by The Children’s Hospital Charity. They hope the areas will help patients to “communicate and alleviate anxieties”.

The Becton centre provides treatment for a range of mental health conditions including ADHD and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Related topics:PatientsYoungstersSheffield