Children of key workers at Ramsgate Arts Primary are helping to brighten up the Viking Day Unit chemotherapy centre at the QEQM Hospital in Margate.
The pupils who are attending school during the current lockdown were invited to create some pictures for staff and patients..and set to work with bright and bold colours.
The young artists created multi-coloured collages that also featured rainbows and a message saying NHS – thank you.
The request came from Carrie Merry, the chemotherapy unit manager, whose daughter Lauren is a teaching assistant at RAPS.
Carrie was delighted when she received a selection of artwork. She said: “They are wonderful and it has certainly brightened up my morning putting them up in our display cases. I’m sure it will be a talking point with our patients for many weeks to come.
“I want to say a huge thank you from myself, all my team at Viking and all our patients.”
Head of School Nick Budge said: “The Viking Day Unit is an integral and vitally important part of our hospital service and carries out splendid work with such dedication, care and professionalism.
“Our key worker children are working hard in their lessons in school during the lockdown and they jumped at the chance to create artwork for the hospital. It was a great opportunity for them to demonstrate their artwork skills and empathise with our community.
“RAPS is always happy to support those people and organisations that work tirelessly and selflessly for the benefit of others – the QEQM is a shining example of that.”
Sweet. But fairly concerning to see the kids standing so close and sharing colouring pencils. I was under the impression that schools providing childcare were still meant to be social distancing? I’m entitled to a school place for my children as I’m a keyworker but haven’t used the provision yet as have been able to juggle it with my partner but I was led to believe that the children were being kept 2m apart to reduce the spread of infection. As a mum of 3 I know it’s really hard to keep kids apart but surely they need to try a bit harder to protect the children of keyworkers? Ironic if a key worker catches it from their own children attending school then isn’t able to work on the front line for weeks while they recover.