AN official unveiling of A Dose of Art, an extraordinary artwork by renowned Welsh portrait artist Nathan Wyburn was held today (Friday, 8 December 2023) at Prince Philip Hospital, coinciding with the third anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccine administered by Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB).
A Dose of Art honours healthcare staff and volunteers working right across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and celebrates the success of the vaccination programme.
Crafted from thousands of plastic lids collected from vaccination vials across the health board’s mass vaccination centres, each lid symbolises the delivery of 6, 8, 10, or 20 vaccines.
The poignant piece portrays two smiling NHS staff without Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), conveying a message of hope, freedom, community, light, and life that the Mass Vaccination Programme brought to people across Hywel Dda.
Today’s unveiling was marked through song, provided by Glangwili Hospital’s Head of Nursing, Olwen Morgan who sang The Rose.
Mandy Rayani, Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience at Hywel Dda UHB, said: “It is wonderful to be able to unveil this artwork today as a tangible reminder of the incredible efforts of all healthcare staff and volunteers involved with the pandemic response and the mass vaccination programme.
“Three years ago today, in Glangwili Hospital, the first COVID-19 vaccines within Hywel Dda UHB were administered to patient facing staff, making them among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
“The arrival of the vaccine was a world changing event which gave us hope at the end of 2020 and it continues to be as important today, providing protection to the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Nathan Wyburn, a Welsh portrait artist renowned for his innovative use of unconventional materials, was chosen for this project through an online vote by Hywel Dda staff and volunteers.
Artist Nathan Wyburn, said: “It’s an honour to have been chosen by Hywel Dda staff to create this artwork and I hope people working in the health board, those who worked so hard thought the pandemic can see themselves in these portraits.
“It’s all about the people and I’m really proud of this work. I can’t wait for this to tour across the health board over the next year.”
The realisation of A Dose of Art was made possible through funding provided by Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board.
The artwork will be on display at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli before touring to other health board sites across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire throughout 2024.
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