Patients' artwork to remember Covid challenges

An artwork created to remember the challenges faced by patients and staff during the Covid-19 pandemic is to go on display.

Art therapist Andy Walker, from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV), said the Tree of Life project featured 2,025 images documenting the pandemic and was a "snapshot of history".

It also includes selfies of the mental health trust's staff and patients during lockdown.

Mr Walker said the display was a "lasting reminder of the pandemic, honouring the struggles faced, the unity found, and the hope for the future".

The work is a composite image created by the juxtaposition of the individual pictures to form a tree of life - a symbol representing the life cycle.

Large posters featuring the artwork are being placed at sites across the mental health trust, which manages sites including Acklam Road Hospital in Middlesbrough and Auckland Park Hospital in Bishop Auckland.

The trust's lead occupational therapist Rachel Booth-Gardiner, is among those to feature in the project.

Her life was turned upside down when she got Covid in 2020 and had to spend a year in hospital, including five months in intensive care.

Due to muscle wastage and other complications, Mrs Booth-Gardiner had to relearn how to control her body.

It took a further six months of rehabilitation after she left hospital for her to be well enough to return to work full-time using a wheelchair.

Her husband Anthony, a photographer, documented her recovery journey to capture her resilience and he helped put the final artwork together.

Mrs Booth-Gardiner said: "It might bring back difficult memories, but I hope it shows the strength people have.

"It is testament to the solidarity and hope that carried us through challenging times."

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