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Winner 2004 'Outstanding Use of Art in Hospitals'
NHS Estates - 'Building Better HealthCare' awards

Kingfisher Project

ArtCare and Salisbury Arts Centre have been collaborating for a number of years on the Kingfisher Project, a creative writing and poetry project for people in the hospital and the community.

Working once a week with poet Rose Flint, the aim is for people to use words to get through periods of illness or, in a more general sense, to express themselves about life.

As a result of Rose's work with patients on Winterslow Ward and with a group of women writers in Salisbury Arts Centre a set of nine colourful poem postcards have been produced. The poems, including titles such as 'The Gardener', 'Perfect as snow' and 'Grace' are delicately illuminated by Salisbury artist Laurence Rushby and are linked by the title 'Healing Earth'. The poem postcards are available to purchase from ArtCare.

Following a successful application to the Arts Council, the Kingfisher Project is continuing to develop its work over the next three years. A recent initiative has seen volunteers reading poetry to patients at the hospital and a national conference on literature in health.