Local artists and children are being asked to send in their artwork to brighten up the walls of the Royal Free Hospital, as a way of celebrating the heroic staff looking after patients on the intensive care wards.

At the beginning and end of each shift, staff walk down a 23-metre corridor to the intensive care unit at the Royal Free Hospital. Soon, the walls of the corridor will be brightened up with art and messages of thanks to cheer up staff – all thanks to contributions from the local community. The project is being led by the Royal Free Charity.

“We got the inspiration from some lovely messages and pictures left on bags of donated food,” said Sinead Hanton, ICU matron. “The food is so useful for the staff, but it’s the messages and pictures that really move them.”

In order to bring the wall to life, hundreds of unique pieces of art will be needed. Artwork is welcomed from children and adults alike, with suggested themes including pictures of hospital staff hard at work or 'thank you' messages, the brighter and more colourful the better.

Budding artists should send their designs to the Royal Free Charity digitally. Take a photograph of the art, making sure that it fills the camera’s frame, and email it to ArtRFC@oander.co.uk. For children’s artwork don’t forget to include their name and age on the picture. These will then be printed onto wipeable vinyl sheets.

Please don’t post the actual picture – having it in electronic form will help the hospital keep it clean.

The work is being made possible thanks to the Royal Free Charity. Interim chief executive, Richard Scarth, said: “This is such a hard time for everyone. But every day we see how much the community wants to help and support our staff and recognise the heroism they are showing in these extraordinary times.”

Image: Picture sent in by Shem, aged 9