2 February 2010
The daughter of a patient at Epsom Hospital has collected and donated 50 paintings to the hospital in memory of her mother.
Stephanie Newark from Epsom decided to donate paintings to be hung in the single rooms in the wards of the hospital following the sad death of her 91 year old mother, Olive, who was a patient at Epsom several times and who spent much of her time there in single rooms.
Stephanie said: "Mum was very grateful for the care she received at the hospital but she often said that she wished there was a picture to look at. I believe that a picture has the power to take you out of your surroundings and transport you somewhere better, if only temporarily.
"After she died I thought it might be possible to gather together some pictures to hang on the walls where patients could see them."
And to Stephanie's surprise, she received an overwhelming response, with paintings and artwork being donated by Ashtead Art Group, Conquest Art (a charity which runs art classes for disabled people), the Epsom Choral Society and Stephanie's friends and family.
Stephanie said: "I'm overwhelmed by the kindness of all of the people who donated a painting. I wasn't expecting such a large response
"My mother had a keen eye for pictures and dress design, making many of her own clothes. I think she would be happy to know that patients staying in the hospital will now have something beautiful to look at."
One of the departments to benefit from Stephanie's hardwork and the artist's generousity was the coronary care unit. Senior sister for the unit, Janice Smith, said: "Thanks to Stephanie, we've got five fantastic pictures for our single bedded rooms. They are lovely paintings, and we would like to thank the artists who gave up their time to brighten up our rooms. They'll be a great boost for our patients."
