Alder Hey Children’s Charity is pleased to announce the launch of Turning Heads, a printmaking project in collaboration with The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and National Museums Liverpool.

Textile artist Rachael Howard, Senior Lecturer of Textile Design at Bath Spa University, is delivering a series of printmaking workshops with both Alder Hey and Clatterbridge over the summers of 2024 and 2025. Focused primarily on our Oncology Unit but also working with non-Oncology patients too, the project enables participants to create bespoke design for bandanas and headwear which they can keep and wear, using printing techniques.

Activity at Alder Hey has been fully funded by Alder Hey Children’s Charity and delivered by the Arts for Health team, who, to ensure a cultural and historic context for the project, have partnered with National Museums Liverpool enabling the project to reflect textile design and body adornment from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds.

Vicky Charnock, Arts Manager in the Arts for Health team at Alder Hey told us: “We are delighted to welcome textile artist Rachael Howard to Alder Hey as part of the Turning Heads printmaking residency. Our children and young people will have a unique opportunity to design and produce their own signature headwear, based on patterns and designs from the headwear collection at National Museums Liverpool. The provision of arts activities within hospitals, such as participating in an art-making sessions, has been found to benefit the mental health and wellbeing of people with long term health conditions. Outcomes also include encouragement of self-expression, increased positive mood and happiness, as well as increased self-esteem and confidence. We hope these outcomes will lead to patients experiencing increased positivity about the future, increased resilience, and increased autonomy over their own wellbeing.”

To launch this exciting new project, Rachael visited Alder Hey this week to begin the first Turning Heads sessions. She met with patient Madison on Ward 3A to begin designing and producing Madison’s own headscarf, spending time carefully choosing colours and patterns to best reflect Madison’s passions and personal style. Madison rated the session as 5/5 and told us: “I was able to think about the screen printing and not why I was here. I stopped worrying about my illness. It was nice to think about something different.”

Rachael told us: “Turning Heads project is a wonderful opportunity to share the joys of screenprinting and creating textile designs with patients, who learn a new skill and get to wear their creations.  The technique is simple, fun and very blobby, plus all achievable whilst sitting up in bed! Madison was a delight to work with, she designed a geometric pattern inspired by African Kente cloth and printed it on to a cotton bandana. The massive smile on Madison’s face as her prints were revealed was joyous, and her excitement and enthusiasm was captivating. I love working with the children and staff on the wards, the atmosphere is always warm, welcoming and supportive, even though I look a bit odd carting my screen print gear around! Turning Heads offers a patient time out from their usual routine and will hopefully inspire some future Textile Designers!”

Alder Hey Children’s Charity is so grateful to Rachael for leading such a special and beneficial residency, and we cannot wait to see what incredible creations are made during this project. Finally, the charity wishes to extend a special thank you to National Museums Liverpool for their continued support in helping our Arts for Health team to create magical memories here at Alder Hey.