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.

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.

01/05/2026

💙 Patient Experience Week 💙

As Patient Experience Week comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting on some of the fantastic activities our teams have been part of across our hospitals.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 - from the small, everyday moments to the programmes and projects that make a lasting impact.

This week has been a brilliant showcase of that, from the medical museum touring the wards with fascinating historic instruments and artefacts, to uplifting live music, and our beautiful well‑dressings where colleagues and patients came together to contribute to shared pieces of art.

It’s been wonderful to see how our Arts programme helps enhance the patient experience in so many meaningful ways. 💙

Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity Spiral Arts - Derby

29/04/2026

We’re delighted to launch our Music in Unusual Spaces project - a new strand of our nationally recognised Air Arts music programme, bringing live music into unexpected corners of our hospitals.🎼

From entrances and waiting areas to corridors, gardens and canteens, our musicians will be performing in places they’re not usually heard. With 98% of people saying our music programme improves wellbeing, this project builds on what we know works - extending live music beyond wards and into the wider hospital environment.

Thanks to funding from the The National Lottery Community Fund we're excited to bring even more live music to patients, visitors and staff over the coming year. Our project was made possible thanks to players.

Read more about the project here: https://bit.ly/music_in_unusual_spaces

15/04/2026

Observe and understand skin in new ways through drawing...

Visual Literacy: Seeing the Skin – a new body of work by Air Arts resident artist E J Lance is launched as part of Joseph Wright: A Life on Paper exhibtion at the Museum and Art Gallery.

The exhibition was inspired by creative workshops with dermatology clinicians and students. These sessions sparked powerful conversations about how we see, describe and care for people – and how creativity can support both clinical practice and wellbeing 🎨

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

This inspiration has now taken shape as The Astronauts of Life – three surreal, suspended figures made with ink and a scalpel. Their “skins” are filled with textures, patterns and stories drawn from workshop experiences and centuries of skin imagery.

See the exhibition now at Derby Museum & Art Gallery or learn more about the project here: https://dbhc.org.uk/seeing_the_skin_art_exhibition/

First image (c) Pictoria Pictures

02/04/2026

On Tuesday, we welcomed 60 brilliant musicians, clinicians and creative health professionals to Royal Derby Hospital for the Delivering Excellent Creative Health Practice event, organised by the Orchestras in Healthcare group.

From open, honest conversations about using music in clinical settings, to sharing what really works in practice, the day was full of insight, connection and creativity - all centred around the impact music can have in healthcare.

Plus, those who attended were able to join in with a live music session led by two of our wonderful musicians, Rosie and Jamie🎶

Thank you to everyone who came along, shared openly and made it such a valuable day - and to the Orchestras in Healthcare Group for bringing it all together.

Orchestras Live, The Association of British Orchestras and the National Arts in Hospitals Network.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England

27/03/2026

🎭 Happy World Theatre Day!

Thanks to generous donations and fundraising, our team is able to bring live performances into our hospitals - helping to create calmer spaces for patients and giving them a welcome distraction during their visit.

Today, we’re looking back at a special moment, when Peut-Être Theatre came to perform Lemony Snicket's book "The Dark" to young patients at Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton. 📖🔦

Here's a small clip from one of the performances. 🎭

24/03/2026

🎶 Our lunchtime recitals are back!🎶

After a successful run last year, our monthly lunchtime recitals have now returned - bringing professional musicians to the canteen areas at Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton from February to July.

Alongside our regular live music across the hospitals, these dedicated lunchtime performances offer staff, patients and visitors a moment to pause and enjoy uplifting music during the day.

Thanks to generous donations and funding, we’ve already welcomed Melissa Morris, Jess Tomlinson, Polly Virr - Cello and Jamie Rutherford - Guitarist - and we can’t wait to share more fantastic performances in the months ahead. 💜🎵

Arts Council England

Address

Royal Derby Hospital
Derby
DE223NE

Telephone

01332 786201

Website

http://www.airarts.net/

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