08/05/2022
Delighted to complete the Wall Graphic production and installation at the new Children’s Theatre Suite at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. Fantastic working with WhimSicAL LusH on this project. 😊
⭐️ The Children’s Theatre Suite opens tomorrow! ⭐️ The CTS is part of Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells here in Dundee and is going to be a game changer for so many children and young people in Tayside.
I’d like to welcome you to the reception area and the huge Riverside Adventures mural (on the epic ‘wibbly wall’).
With these illustrations, I wanted to create adventures, filled with characters, local wildlife and colour but also retain the calming effect that nature has by bringing a little of the outside in. I hope imaginations are captured and young minds are transported into a fun world.
I am so very honoured to be a part of this huge, incredible project, with so many dedicated, hardworking people making it happen!
From joining the fundraising efforts with The Archie Foundation Tayside and Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trails in back 2015/16 & again in 2018/19 to creating artworks for NHS Tayside over the last few years it’s been a huge journey.
I hope my illustrations help to make this already amazing space, designed by RDA Architects and built by Balfour Beatty, even more welcoming and inspiring.
The murals were printed and installed (alongside other art pieces) by Phoenix Design and I couldn’t have done it without them! (There would have been more air bubbles than illustrations 😂).
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More about the CTS and what it means for Tayside’s children.
Every year around 3,000 children and young people receive surgery at Ninewells Hospital, with half of those receiving treatment in adult environments, due to lack of space in the children’s wards. That can be pretty scary. Not any more!
The new theatre suite will double the current capacity for children’s surgery and it also means that when they are being treated they will remain in the Tayside Children’s hospital.
Dr Grant Rodney, consultant children’s anaesthetist for NHS Tayside, said to the Courier that the team are excited to welcome their first patients. He said: “This is a world class unit that will benefit everyone who comes here for treatment. It will also be a great place for our staff to work and a welcoming and non-threatening environment for children and their family to come.”
It’s so exciting that, after years of planning and work, a £2 million fundraising campaign and a global pandemic, the doors will finally be opening to welcome the very first patients and their families.
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Now I’d like to talk a little more about The ARCHIE Foundation. 💛
Without all the fundraising there would be no artwork and no lovely wee extras that go into making this already incredible and welcoming facility even more friendly to be in.
In 2012 NHS Tayside launched a partnership with children’s charity the Archie Foundation and two years later a £2m fundraising drive for the theatre suite was launched. (There’s more to this story too, a very special person who needs a post of their very own).
The fundraising included donations, two Oor Wullie Bucket Trails, the ARCHIE Mountain Challenge, Santa Dashes, abseiling, Beards for Bairns, and countless more sponsored challenges. There have been so many people involved it’s incredible.
Lots of you on here I know have been part of the fundraising too… go on hands up if you helped! 👋 What did you do? 😁 Whatever it was, thank you from us all (and from the children who will be there from tomorrow).
Paula Cormack, chief executive of Archie, said to the Courier: “It’s fantastic to see this project finally come to fruition after so many years of hard work and inspirational fundraising from so many people.
“It’s an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Archie and it is great to be able to show our supporters and service users the impact that the £2m raised for this project has had and will have for years to come.”
Paula also wrote: “… the incredible artwork, which has really transformed the facility from what would otherwise have been a clinically excellent children’s theatre suite, that is already a million times better than the previous facility, but which Suzanne’s artwork has literally propelled to out-of-this-world levels (and I use the world “literally” carefully) …. “
You’ll see what Paula was referring to in my next post! 😉
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