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Mixed media artist Adi French has been helping patients, staff, visitors and volunteers at St Leonard?s Hospice in York get in touch with their creative side.
St Leonard's is a voluntary and independent service for people with life-threatening illnesses ? often, though not always, cancer. Adi worked in both the inpatient and day unit, encouraging participants to try new things. Introducing a variety of materials and techniques, those who were able began to experiment with silk painting, collage, sculpture and creative writing. Whole families have been working together under Adi?s guidance.

Patient Mavis wrote her life story and her recollections formed a memoir which the York City Archivist was delighted to accept as ?a vivid form of informal history?. Another resident, previously a sheep farmer, found model-making so satisfying that he had soon filled the reception area with an entire flock of papier mache sheep, which grew so large they eventually had to be put out to grass!

Alongside Adi, a pool of musicians has been visiting St Leonard's every week on a rota basis. Day care and inpatient units have been witness to impromptu singing sessions with guitar and fiddle, hammer dulsinar, guitar, saxophone, and flute banjo in every style from blue grass to jazz. Visitors and relatives began to spontaneously borrow some of the instruments, resulting in some wonderful guitar and violin jamming sessions. One of the musicians, a Latin American guitar player, is writing a piece for the hospice and hopes to bring his musical colleagues together to made a CD of the residents? favourite pieces.

In an environment which regularly has to cater for the needs of patients in the final months of their life, a project like this reminds staff, visitors and relatives as well as the patients themselves that they?re not just ?waiting to die?. Staff believe that while the benefits of having the artists and musicians in the hospice aren?t medical, the value brought to patients? quality of life is immeasurable. Occupational therapist Lu Mason said,? Patients who are well enough benefit enormously from expanding their horizons and acquiring new interests. Some can share their professional skills. Many also want to give something back, others to make lasting mementos. It gives great pleasure for them to create gifts for members of their families and carers. The Hospice has decided that it can?t do without these activities. This residency has opened up whole new way of working and we can?t go back. The governors have given us permission to continue for the rest of the year at least, and we are applying to get a grant to ensure that the artists can carry on working with us. The artists are from the ?real world?, they bring people together whether through painting, writing or music, and remind patients, staff and carers that the patients are more than their illness.?