Young artists help transform children’s Calm Room at St Mary’s

The children’s Calm Room at St Mary’s Hospital has been transformed from a plain clinical space into an inviting retreat for young patients, thanks to the Isle of Wight NHS Youth Forum and artist Laura Hathaway, as part of a project led by Artswork.

Libby Henstridge, youth Co-Chair of the IOW NHS Youth Forum, says: “I am so proud to have been involved with the Calm Room murals at St Mary’s Children’s A&E. Seeing our amazing Youth Forum’s initial concerns on paper, turn into a meaningful successful project, is something I’ll always be grateful to have been a part of.”

Now filled with woodland, marine, beach and space-themed murals, the room offers children a soothing place to step away from the busy ward environment, take a breath, and feel more at ease. The transformation supports the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s policy of using art to support wellbeing and aid recovery.

Sam Matthias, Ward Sister in the Children’s Emergency Department at the hospital, says the transformation will make a huge difference to the children and families who use the space: “We are so grateful for the time and effort that everyone has put into improving the space we have for our children and families who attend the Children’s Emergency department who are neurodiverse, or have learning difficulties or children and young people who may be in crisis. It has been lovely to be part of this work and I am in awe at the talent of the young people who have been involved.”

Young people and patients have been at the heart of the project from the start, with Libby, and medical student Tom Wilkinson, leading on the project. In an early workshop with Laura, members of the Youth Forum created worksheets so patients in the Children’s Emergency Department and Children’s Ward could share their ideas through drawings and words. Twenty-nine children responded, and their suggestions helped shape the final murals.

The murals build on colour theory and creative themes previously developed by the Youth Forum with Laura and Artswork, as part of their transformation of the Children’s Ward garden in 2024.

Dr Emma Blake, Consultant Paediatrician and Co-Chair of the Isle of Wight NHS Youth Forum, says she is proud of what the young people have achieved: “The benefit of having an active and dynamic Isle of Wight NHS Youth Forum has been immense. The young people are creative, forceful and drive through their ideas. We have a wide range of young people from various backgrounds with lived experiences of health difficulties, neurodiversity and family situation. This ‘Co-Production’ creates synergy with clinicians, and other professionals which has led to outstanding changes – including public health policy, experience of young inpatients and education.

“The beautiful sensory spaces both in the Children’s Ward garden and now in the Children’s Emergency Department Calm Room, designed by the young people in collaboration with a local outstanding artist, create an environment of relaxation and joy which enhances the therapeutic relationships and enables the healing process.”

Artist Laura Hathaway adds: "This project has been incredibly rewarding. It’s been amazing to work alongside young people throughout the whole project, from the NHS Youth Forum, who helped shape the ideas from the very beginning, to the children in the Children’s Ward and A&E, whose drawings and ideas became part of the final murals. Together, we’ve created imaginative, calming and welcoming spaces that I hope will help children and young people feel a little more relaxed, comforted and distracted while they wait."

The project is part of Artswork’s Young Cultural Changemakers programme, which empowers children and young people to use creativity to make a difference in their communities. The programme is funded by Arts Council England.