Bristol Hospital Education Service offer a range of services for children who are outside of mainstream education due to additional medical and mental health needs. BHES provide one to one and group sessions in hospitals aimed at minimising the disruption to education caused by admission to hospital. In addition, BHES provide tuition in their Falkland Road centre, student’s homes and other community settings.

A group of young people from BHES have been enjoying the LifewithArt workshops in Emersons Green, supporting their Art GCSE learning. Workshops were based around different artists and associated with different media such as Banksy, acrylic paint pouring, Isaiah Zager and mosaics.

Samantha Williams, Art and Engagement Lead at Bristol Hospital Education Service, explains the power of photography in building confidence and self-esteem:

Creativity can be hindered by a fear of failure, or a perfectionist nature which means students struggle to start a creative piece as they do not have the self-esteem or confidence to fail and learn. We  have found that photography is a valuable tool for building self-esteem. Students are able to communicate their emotions, create content and build knowledge and understanding of the formal elements of line, shape and colour. With the safety blanket of the quick process, which encourages mistakes before creating the right shot, we have found that building confidence in photography leads students into higher level creative process. By eroding the fear of failure and actively encouraging it through the instantaneous nature of photography, this confidence in learning transfers into other lessons across the curriculum.

BHES currently have one camera to service 120+ children when on site, during outreach programmes and in their secure unit. At LifewithArt we felt this vital work should be encouraged and are delighted to announce a £6,000 donation to BHES for photography and editing equipment. This will including 3 cameras, 3 laptops, photoshop packages and lighting!

We very much look forward to hearing how our donation benefits the young people in BHES and welcoming the group back for LifewithArt workshops, later this year.