A three-metre high graffiti angel created by patients and staff at a mental health unit run by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has won a national art competition.
The stunning design at Brockfield House in Runwell, Chelmsford, was chosen as one of the winning pieces in an annual Royal College of Psychiatrists’ artwork competition
It was selected by patients from the college’s Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services (QNFMHS), a quality improvement network for low and medium secure inpatient mental health services in the UK.
They described it as ‘a lovely, positive piece’ that was ‘very current’.
Kelly Burgess, senior occupational therapist, said: “My colleagues and I are absolutely delighted that our graffiti angel has been chosen as a winning creation. It is fantastic recognition of the effort our patients put in to creating such an inspiring piece of art.”
Patients from every ward at Brockfield House were invited to work with occupational therapists from EPUT to create the angel using stencils and spray paints to produce its colourful wings.
Kelly Burgess and her colleagues at Brockfield House came up with the idea to encourage patients to take part in some art and to thank fellow colleagues for their dedication during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Photographs of the angel will now be used in future publications produced by the QNFMHS.
Andy Brogan, Executive Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at EPUT, said: “I am so pleased to hear that the talents of our occupational therapists and patients have been recognised at a national level.
“This project has provoked a sense of pride and ownership in patients at having played a part in creating something so special. Everyone who took part should be very proud of their achievement.”