Volunteers brighten up Noah’s Ark children’s hospital in Cardiff

Account manager by day, Matt Dey, along with eight other passionate painters, spent last weekend brightening up Noah’s Ark children’s hospital in Cardiff.

Wanting to make a difference, Mr Dey and his partner Rhiannon Stone got together with some fellow street artists earlier this year, and had the idea to reach out to a children’s hospital and offer to paint some windows.

After Noah’s Ark agreed it would be a “wonderful gesture”, the team spent a full day painting 14 windows on Sunday, April 16.

“It was fantastic," said Mr Dey. "A couple of us showed up on Saturday to paint the backdrop of the windows blue, ready for artists on Sunday morning.

“We were speaking to the staff who couldn’t wait for us to get started. They described the corridor as hideous and a real eyesore for the children who passed through.”

The group decided to opt for an ocean theme, as each ward in the hospital has a different style.

Mr Dey continued: “Some artists were thrown in at the deep end if you will, as only a couple of them had painted windows before.

“We all started painting at around 8am feeling a bit nervous, by the time we finished at 3pm, there was a real comradery amongst the group.

“One of the artists, Ranjana Patel, has only worked with henna in the past but still had a go. She added henna type styles to her turtle design which was fun.

“In the end, it turned out to be a beautiful tunnel that will tell its own story for years to come.”

For one artist, Ro Marenghi, this was a very personal project. He said: “My son, Joey, was on the owl ward at Noah’s Ark in 2020 after being diagnosed with lung cancer aged one.

“Thankfully he’s all clear now but Noah’s Ark is somewhere that feels like a second home to us.

“I couldn’t say no to this project. I’ve been trying to give back to the hospital at every chance available and this was another way for me to do my bit.

“Joey stayed on the rainbow and owl ward, so my design was a deep-sea diving owl.”

When asked about the project, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “Lots of children, families and colleagues pass through the glass corridor daily and staff at the children’s hospital were keen to make the space more inviting and child-friendly.”

Alison Oliver, clinical service lead for the Children's Hospital for Wales, said: “When we were approached by the group, we were pleased to take up their kind offer to enhance the corridor and make it more child friendly.

“The entry corridor is darker than other parts of the hospital and wasn’t as nicely decorated.

“The team came in over a weekend and made a considerable improvement to the glazed corridor for our young patients, who use the thoroughfare to access our children’s outpatient’s department and all of our wards.

“We are extremely grateful to the team of volunteers for making this area a far better experience for our children and their families.”

The hospice walls before and after

Mr Dey's partner and project manager, Rhiannon Stone, added: “We started this project with the aim of bringing colourful window paintings to children's wards and hospitals throughout the UK.

“With an amazing team of nine incredible artists who travelled from far and wide, our first mission at the wonderful Noah’s Ark Children's Hospital for Wales saw the artists turn a boring hallway into a fun and bright pathway for families to enjoy.

“We would like to thank everyone involved, especially the artists for their selfless gift of time and incredible skills, and to the hospital for inviting us to paint something bright and cheerful in what can seem a worrying environment.”

After a successful day of painting, Mr Dey and his crew are already looking at another project in the summer.

He said: “The whole team are well up for doing this again. We’ve reached out to a few hospitals in London which would be amazing to help paint.

“It really clicked for us how special this was when a girl came past us as we were painting with a big smile on her face.”