Blushing artwork leaves Dispatch district care home residents in the pink

A 'perfectly pink' travelling painting is helping older people living in Bulwell to feel connected.
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Residents at Fairway View care home were invited to make the first marks on a large scale blank canvas, which was then carried to nearby Park House care home.

Once the resident Picassos and Matisses had added their contributions, it was off to Highbury Hospital, where in-patients made the finishing touches to the freeform artwork.

Budding artists were told there were no rules and were encouraged to experiment.

April Towriess, activities coordinator at Fairway View, with the finished Perfectly Pink paintingApril Towriess, activities coordinator at Fairway View, with the finished Perfectly Pink painting
April Towriess, activities coordinator at Fairway View, with the finished Perfectly Pink painting

Whilst some added their own touches with traditional paint brushes and sponges others chose to get creative with their hands and even their feet.

More than 80 people, aged from 65 to 99, many of them living with dementia, took part in the project.

The painting will now hang on the wall at Fairway View.

Local artist Phillip Hearn was so admiring of the brightly-coloured and abstract work that he offered to pay to have it professionally framed.

The project was masterminded by April Towriess, activities coordinator at Fairway View, who is also an artist.

She said: "This is my first job in care and I honestly can't believe I get paid to do this.

"I have so much fun and am able to bring creativity into everything I do with residents at Fairway View.

"Perfectly Pink was the residents' idea to raise some money for breast cancer research.

"It was about having fun and collaborating and everyone really enjoyed the 'anything goes' ethos behind the work.

"It was lovely to see residents feeling free enough to take off their socks and dip their toes in their paint! I think that freedom can be felt in the final artwork we created – it's joyful and magnificent."

Nicola Curzon, activities co-ordinator, Park House, added: "This was a wonderful project and we were very excited to take part.

"Everyone who got involved really loved it.

Esther Hepple, occupational therapist, Highbury Hospital said: “Making connections with the community is very important to us and a travelling painting was an imaginative way of enabling us to take part in this wonderful project.”

The painting raised £65 for the charity Breast Cancer Now through donations given via a Just Giving page.

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