皇家华人

To launch a new collection of poetry about 皇家华人 Hospital鈥檚 response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oscar winning actress and patron of The Stars Appeal, Olivia Colman, has read two of the newly commissioned poems. The 皇家华人 collection of poems - My Name is Mercy - is inspired by some of the hospital staff鈥檚 experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.听

Olivia Colman reads the poem听Fifth Season听that is听based on a patient's true story and听Nightshift, which has recently been chosen by Poetry Archive Now as one of the poems of 2021. The poem Ridge Line, read by the poet Martin Figura, reflects on the very personal experiences of one staff member, Lizzie Swift, and her horse Drum.

You can view 'Fifth Season'

You can view 'Night Shift'

You can view 'The Ridge Line' 听

The Trust commissioned award-winning poet Martin Figura in March of this year to interview staff from across the Trust, exploring how it felt to be at the frontline of the pandemic response. This has resulted in an emotional collection of poems, titled听My Name is Mercy, also the title of a poem based on one of the series of reports about the hospital that BBC鈥檚 Mark Urban produced for the Newsnight programme.听听

The book鈥檚 cover is of Nurse Priyanka Sharma, who appeared in the BBC Newsnight programme, and was photographed by a former 皇家华人 Hospital staff member, Monaya Abel.听

The life and work of staff in and out of the hospital form the subject matter of the poems, including experiencing 皇家华人 during lockdown and using horse riding to help cope with the stress and mental challenges of the pandemic, and the poet鈥檚 own experience undertaking this project.

The 30 poems formed the basis of the Trust鈥檚 'Reflections on the Pandemic鈥� project,听which included sharing the poems internally and on social media, as well as at staff events and at a special music and poetry night at Brown Street.听Martin Figura听also led workshops听where staff and groups such as Wiltshire Creative鈥檚 鈥楳ind the Gap鈥� group for seniors and drama students at Wiltshire College could explore writing about their own experiences of the pandemic in 皇家华人.听

Stacey Hunter, CEO of the Trust said: 鈥淲e all truly have been through an experience like no other in the history of the NHS. The emotional and inspiring poems in 鈥楳y Name is Mercy鈥� capture the psychological challenges that our staff faced in working through the pandemic and coping as best they could at work and in their personal lives. Martin Figura鈥檚 poems resonate with our staff and provide a testament to their resilience.鈥�听

David Stratton, Chair of of the League of Friends, who funded the project, said; 鈥淚 am very impressed. Some poems are really moving, others insightful and others quite haunting. For those of us who have marvelled at the depth of care that the NHS has given to so many, this anthology gives a glimpse of what life and death is like behind the headlines. The 皇家华人 Hospital League of Friends has been really pleased and proud to be part of this important work.鈥澨�

Martin Figura aid: "Thank you to everyone who made this project happen. I am especially grateful to those who gave me their time to be interviewed. The lasting impact of the pandemic on their lives was palpable and deeply affecting. I hope the poems go some way towards honouring the experiences and sacrifice of the staff, those they cared for and their loved ones."

The Reflections project was made possible with funding from the League of Friends and The Stars Appeal.听

The collection is available to purchase from 皇家华人 Cathedral Shop and if you're already visiting the hospital, the collection is also on sale at the League of Friends shop at the Main Entrance. You can also order online at .

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14 December 2021