Nearly £40,000 has been donated to help hospital patients in the north east enjoy the healing powers of art.
The money will allow elderly patients in Royal Cornhill Hospital those recovering from long-term illnesses at Woodend Hospital to pick up a paintbrush and express themselves as they battle back to health.
Those suffering from dementia and neurological conditions will particularly benefit from the ArtRoom project, which has been running for several years at NHS Grampian.
Sally Thomson, director of Grampian Hospitals Art Trust, said: “It is an exciting time for us and we are looking at the most effective ways to continue this project in order that the patients in these units can benefit from working with these specially trained artists.”
Ms Thomson said the ArtRoom project had shown to have a therapeutic benefit for patients by building independence and restoring self-confidence during often lengthy hospital stays.
Family members are also encouraged to show their support and join in with the classes.
The money has been donated by the Edinburgh-based RS Macdonald Charitable Trust (£20,000)and NHS Grampian Endowment Fund (£18,593) and will also allow GHAT to employ a fundraiser for the ArtRoom project.
Douglas Hamilton, Director of RS Macdonald said: “RS Macdonald Charitable Trust is delighted to be able to support the ArtRoom project.
“We particularly like the way that sessions are tailored to meet individual interests and that there are opportunities to involve other family members in the creative processes.
“Over the coming year we hope that many more patients at Woodend and Cornhill hospitals will be able to benefit from this initiative.”
The money will be spent at the Specialist Rehabilitation Unit at Woodend Hospital and Old Age Psychiatry Department in Royal Cornhill Hospital .
GHAT also works to hang good quality art in the hospital environment and has a collection of more than 4,300 works, which have built up over more than 30 years.
It has also opened The Suttie Arts Space (TSAS) at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, which is thought to be the first art gallery in a hospital setting in the UK.
