Volunteer Profile: Corinne Brown

23 October 2018



Corinne has been regularly volunteering with us since xxxx and is a much valued member of our small team.

She tells us in her own words what volunteering means to her...

“Volunteering with Arts for Health is my way of giving back to the hospital and its superb staff for the care both my parents received during their illnesses and subsequent deaths. I really appreciate that the charity works to support our wonderful NHS and enhance the hospital environment.

Arts for Health came into my life at a time when I needed its positive impact.

I participated in both the Arts on Prescription and Step Up courses.

I then discovered the opportunity to volunteer with the art collection at the hospital, supporting the fantastic curator and the rest of the team.

In helping to care for the art collection of around 400 varied works, which enliven the environment, benefitting staff, patients and visitors, I have developed my knowledge of many paintings and artists through research, both mine and of other volunteers.  It has been a privilege to establish direct contact with several collection artists during this research. Likewise, through this research, there was an opportunity to meet new people, and take part in stimulating training, particularly on the Heritage Lottery Funded ‘Look Around You’ project. Through deepening our understanding of some artworks, we have conducted Guided Art Tours of selected pieces within the collection, which tours have been well received by the public.

It was also great fun making lanterns with Festive Road and escorting a giant Florence Nightingale lantern puppet around the hospital with local primary schoolchildren to celebrate the NHS. PHOTO

My volunteer sessions are many and varied in content: ‘tidying up’ the database, escorting the curator in choosing locations for artworks, mapping the selected artworks included in the ‘Look Around You’ app, exchanging ideas, helping at art sessions for staff and their families to thank them for 70 years of the NHS, testing the app, in fact anything that will support this small charity in continuing its good work, which has an ongoing beneficial effect on so many.”

Visit our Volunteering With Us page for more information on current opportunties.