Schools Project

East Lancashire Hospice has been inspired by the St Christopher Hospice Schools project. The project brings local School children and Hospice Service users together to create a piece of art.  The aims of the project are to spread awareness of hospice services and reduce the fear that many of us feel when thinking about life limiting illness, death and bereavement.

 

East Lancashire Hospice approached St James’s School- lower Darwen. Their Year five pupils received a visit from Hospice staff to explain the project and discuss the services that the Hospice provides. The children and their teachers then spent two weeks attending the Hospice working with Day Therapy patients to produce some incredible pictures. Through making the Art together and discussing what the Hospice means to them the children and Patients developed a great rapport. In between visits the children worked on poems for an assembly where they told the whole school about the hospice, it’s staff and it’s patients.

 

On the last week of the project children, their parents, teachers, staff, patients, and their families came together to admire the fantastic art work and celebrate the friendships made.

 

The children came away from the project with an appreciation that illness, death and bereavement are very difficult to face but never the less are part of the wonderful circle of life. They learned that just because you know you have a life limiting illness it does not stop you wanting to live that life to the full. They also found out that although the hospice can’t make people better by curing their illness it can and does make people feel better so they can get on with the important business of living life to the full.

 

The patients enjoyed the company of exceedingly polite, caring and sensitive children.  They found they could discuss their illness, thoughts and feelings in an open way and enjoyed answering the children’s questions about them, their life and their illness. The hospice was filled with laughter, glitter and fun. The Art work created was beautiful and the poems moving and inspirational.

 

Many thanks to the staff and pupils of St James and the staff and patients who participated in the project.

 

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