Air Arts

Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity - Air Arts

Air Arts aims to create a calm and welcoming environment, providing support and reassurance for patients, staff and visitors at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton. The Air Arts Team bring art, dance, drama, poetry, storytelling, crafts and music onto the corridors and into the waiting areas and wards to enhance the environment and provide moments of reflection and distraction for everyone.

31/08/2026

Exciting changes are coming to the Atrium Garden at Queen's Hospital Burton 🌿🎨

A beautiful new mural will soon be created on the blank brick walls beside the willow swans, bringing the local wetlands of Burton town centre to life. Inspired by the natural flora and fauna of the area, the design features the River Trent, playful otters, dragonflies, butterflies, wildflowers and flowing trails of weeping willow.

The original design was created by artist E J Lance using drawing inks and will now be brought to life as a large-scale acrylic mural, with work due to begin later this week.

This fantastic project has been made possible thanks to donations made to Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, helping us enhance hospital environments for patients, visitors and staff.🩵

28/08/2026

If you have visited the Royal Derby Hospital recently, you may have noticed that our badger sculptures and willow artworks (which can be found just along the corridor from the main entrance) are starting to look a little tired right now. They've been in place for 10 years - so, from September this year, Derbyshire willow artist, Emma Parkins, will be hard at work restoring and refreshing them. 🦡

This restoration has all been made possible through donations, fundraising and a kind donation made to our hospital charity by Derby Healthcare Plc. We will be posting some progress updates over the coming months, so watch this space to keep up to date with the transformation.

Find out more about the artist - you can see more of Emma’s work on her website - https://www.emma-parkins.co.uk or follow her on Facebook - Emma Parkins- willow and natural art

25/08/2026

🐄🌻 A farm-tastic day on the Nightingale Macmillan Unit (NMU).🌻🐄

Last week, the NMU was transformed for their annual summer fundraising event. But this event was more than just a fundraiser, it gave patients and their loved ones the opportunity to spend precious time together and create special memories. 🩵

🎵Chris and Matt brought live music to the event. There were games, a petting corner, ice cream, samosas and cake, as well as a visit from Jenny the donkey.🫏

Well done to the creative team, staff and volunteers who made the day possible - £1,223.82 was raised for Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity to support the unit. 🩵

12/08/2026

Our wonderful UHDB Staff Wellbeing Choir working hard ahead of the Darley Park Concert on Sunday 23rd August. 🩵

Tickets available from:

https://www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/the-darley-park-concert-2026/

05/07/2026

Happy 78th Birthday to our amazing NHS, all the staff and volunteers who make a difference each and every day. 💜

19/06/2026

Yesterday evening, we celebrated the launch of our Home, Health and Hope exhibition.🩵

We'd like to say a big thank you and congratulations to all the independent artists and staff employed by University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, for contributing their time and talents to the fantastic artworks on display.

"𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘦" - Kate, Visual Arts Manager, Air Arts.

We'll be sharing more details about the individual collections across the year, but in the meantime, you can read more about the exhibition in our latest edition of FRESH Magazine: https://bit.ly/fresh-26

Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity

27/05/2026

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Actcessible Theatre who generously gifted two performances for our young patients at Burton and Derby Children’s Hospitals last month.🎭

The team performed The Bedtime Beastie and The Sword in the Stone across outpatient and ward areas, helping to entertain, distract and bring smiles to children during their hospital visits and stays. 🩵

22/05/2026

As we reflect on last weekend’s Florence Nightingale service, we’re still thinking about a very special musical moment…

At Derby Cathedral, our Air Arts musicians joined Sinfonia Viva, alongside the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust Wellbeing Choir, the University of Derby Choir and Derby Cathedral Music, to premiere a powerful new piece inspired by musicians’ experiences of performing in hospital.🎼

Drawing on the sounds and emotions of time spent on the ward, the music weaves together rhythm, atmosphere and lived experience - building into something deeply moving and full of hope.

This was the very first performance of the piece, and just the beginning of its journey…

👀 Keep your eyes peeled - more to come soon.

18/05/2026

✨ Thank you to everyone who helped make Saturday’s Florence Nightingale Health, Home and Hope service at Derby Cathedral so special. ✨

It was a beautiful service celebrating care, compassion and the legacy of Florence Nightingale, bringing together the local community in a truly meaningful way.

We’re incredibly grateful to the talented performers who brought the event to life - from a creative performance by the Derby Theatre Ambassadors to music from the UHDB Wellbeing Choir, the University of Derby Staff Choir, Derby Cathedral Choir, and our own Air Arts musicians in collaboration with Sinfonia Viva. Together, they premiered a powerful new piece, Heal My Hope, inspired by musicians’ experiences in hospital.

It was also fantastic to have the Air Arts team there sharing items from the medical museum and filling the space with music after the service.

A heartfelt thank you to all involved for creating such a positive and uplifting experience 💙

Derby Cathedral Music, Derby Cathedral, Arts Council England, Sinfonia Viva

12/05/2026

We’re proud to share the work of our resident artist E J Lance and her artwork, Astronauts of Light, currently on display at Derby Museum & Art Gallery.

Inspired by the work of Joseph Wright, the pieces were created through conversations and workshops with dermatology clinicians and students. They explore how we view, describe and care for skin - and how drawing can support learning and wellbeing in healthcare.

This project marks the first time in the UK that drawing techniques have been used in dermatology training to help develop a new visual language for describing skin and improving diagnosis.

🎬 Watch the video to hear the story behind the artwork and don’t miss your final chance to see the exhibition before it closes this weekend.

Address

Royal Derby Hospital
Derby
DE223NE

Telephone

01332 786201

Website

http://www.airarts.net/

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