We are extremely proud to present these designs from 3 students who were a delight to work with, involved the whole school and talked about Organ Donation and what it means to them.
The idea of commissioning a memorial for organ donation was initiated by the Trusts Organ Donation Committee, to celebrate and promote organ donations in our public areas at Frimley and Wexham Park Hospital. Last year, we had a wonderful piece created for Frimley Park by students from Farnborough College of Technology. At the end of 2018, we approached local schools to participate in a memorial for Wexham Park Hospital for 2019. Burnham Grammar were selected to collaborate with the hospital on the project. Emma and a presentation from an Organ Donation nurse were given, plus regular visits to discuss ideas, give guidance on presentations and assistance in creating the final proposal.
The piece created had to celebrate and honour the true significance of organ donations. The students had to take into account its context within the hospital including and health and safety aspects. It was vital the artwork was also of high quality with both skill and imagination.
1. Artistic: Art has to have a positive effect on the well-being of both patients, and staff. The visual outcome of the project is equally as important as the meaning behind it.
2. Social: The project centres on a working collaboration between the hospital and the school, staff and students in environments, as well as organ donation families and the public. It has a highly social aspect as it marks the significance of organ donation, a memorial that provides reflection for families from organ donation and promotes future organ donation.
3. Therapeutic: A therapeutic aspect must always be present.
4. Clinical: The artwork not only marks the significance of organ donation, but acts in a clinical way promoting organ donation and raising awareness.
This year’s Organ Donation Week, a week-long celebration of organ donation across the UK, is taking place from Monday 2 September to Sunday 8 September.
Next year, the law around organ donation is changing in England and Scotland. From spring 2020 in England and autumn 2020 in Scotland, all adults will be considered as having agreed to donate their own organs when they die unless they record a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups. This system was introduced in Wales in 2015.
In the lead up to the change in law, NHS Blood and Transplant is urging families across England to talk about their organ donation decision, with the campaign message #Passiton.
We worked with the school to encourage students and staff to join the NHS Organ Donor Register. To encourage people of all ages to share their donation decision with their family and friends.
Many people don’t realise that their family’s support is needed for organ donation to go ahead, and fewer than half of families agree to donation going ahead if they are unaware of their loved one’s decision to be a donor.
Creating art with the students gives a way to communicate Organ Donation to all ages.
More Organ Donation memorials from around the UK, can be found here… http://clodlog.com/donationmemorials/
“Art is able to provide solace, exhilaration, and satisfaction in a huge variety of different forms. Above all it is able to humanise a building, infusing an often soulless and impersonal environment with affirmation…many critical moments in our lives occur there- from birth through to death- and they ought to take place in surroundings which honour their true significance”