The idea for an auction originated from an art exhibition held at the hospital over the summer. The young people on Peak View chose the theme of nature for their artwork. Through occupational therapy groups they were given the opportunity to experiment with different media including clay, painting, charcoal, pastels, drawing and mixed media, incorporating nature into their artworks.
These groups not only supported the young people to try new things but also supported them to build confidence and skills in self-expression, communication, independence and creativity.
The young people were involved in all aspects of planning the exhibition and came up with creative ideas such as having a nature sounds soundtrack, information display cards, tea and homemade cake for attendees and posters with directions to the exhibition. Young people were mindful of aspects of event planning and considered health and safety and accessibility of the exhibition.
The exhibition was held outside in a ward courtyard due to it being a sunny day. Young people helped to set up the artwork and also a display of their work in the Sensory Garden Planning sessions held over the summer. They also chose to write some summaries of their nature related activities over the summer for staff to see.
The exhibition was well attended with staff coming along from all departments of the hospital. Staff enjoyed the cakes made by young people and were even treated to some impromptu entertainment as young people did some singing. Questionnaires and post-it notes were handed out to attendees to write their feedback on the art exhibition. The event was so successful that a charity auction was suggested where staff could bid for the artwork.
The auction was held on the 12th September to raise money for Roundabout. Once again the young people took responsibility for organising the auction. They also arranged consent forms, organised a guess the country fundraiser game and baked cakes for a cake sale.
A young person volunteered to be the auctioneer while another young person looked after the money tin. A wide range of staff attended and many staff won brilliant nature related artworks, donating their money for the cause. Over £100 was raised for Roundabout.
Well done to all the young people involved in contributing to and organising two wonderful events and for helping raise money for such an important cause.