Arts Trust helped women realise 'I could be OK here' after major brain tumour surgery
Published: 19/02/2025 11:13Heather Edgar from Peterculter didn’t imagine taking part in an art class would be one of the first things she did following major brain surgery, but 13 months on she says it has been a lifeline in helping her accept her “new normal”.
Before Heather was wheeled into a room in Ward 205 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for an Artroom session with Grampian Hospitals Arts Trust, she says she had never done art before, and didn’t have any interest in it.
She explained: “I had partial paralysis, I couldn’t hold a pencil and couldn’t even hold myself up. I wasn’t keen but the nurses were quite persuasive and I’m so glad I was wheeled in. It has been transformative.
“I loved it after the first session. They give you a pack with paper and pens and crayons and I went home and used it. Rehab isn't about putting the miles in, it can be really basic things like holding a pencil; if you can hold a pencil, you can hold a knife or fork.
“I remember at that first class in the hospital the first thing I wanted to try and draw was something from memory. I chose a fish and later I went onto Aberdeen harbour and beach, and I realised I could remember things in sequence – the water, the Silver Darling, the beach then the ferris wheel. It was just lines on a bit of paper but for me that moment was like ‘oh my god, I could be ok here.’ If you can remember the sequence of things, you can do other things like make a cup of coffee. If you draw something from memory it helps you remember where things go.”
Many of the Artroom sessions held across NHS Grampian are supported by NHS Grampian Charity. Heather now attends a session run by Grampian Hospitals Arts Trust (GHAT) and funded by Aberdeen City Voluntary Organisation (ACVO) at Aberdeen Art Gallery every Saturday.
She said: “It’s helped me with learning to be able to communicate again too. I’ve met people I never would have otherwise and it has allowed me to fill the space I used to have for other things with art. There are things I may never do again but I can do this. There’s no good or bad art, there’s just a sense of creating something that is mine. Art is all immersive and I don't have to think about anything else.
“I lost my driving licence after being diagnosed with epilepsy and I find that really isolating. Physically getting on a bus was a challenge initially but this has given me an event in my week to work towards. It is wonderful to be able to put my phone down and stop playing on social media and do something that's creative. I think it helps me find the mental strength to recover.”
Heather has kept a folder of work she’s done since that first drawing in Ward 205 to what she’s doing now. One day, she says she’d love to study at Gray’s School of Art.
Grampian Hospitals Arts Trust was the first of its kind in Scotland and continues to offer the only professionally commissioning gallery in an acute hospital in the UK that is open 24 hours. The small team looks after 4,000 pieces of art, many of which are chosen by ward staff and on display in hospitals across Grampian, and curate exhibitions in the Suttie Arts Space at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary throughout the year as well as running Artroom sessions.
GHAT Director Sally Thomson commented: “It’s the collaboration between a whole host of local organisations and wonderful staff, from artists to porters and anaesthetists, that makes what we do possible. It is amazing the impact our Artroom sessions have had on Heather and many others too, and at the moment we’re working with public health colleagues to really demonstrate the impact art can have on recovery and wellbeing. It delivers choice, connection and builds confidence; the therapeutic value art and creativity has is immeasurable.”
Heather added: “All the staff are really amazing. The people in Ward 205 are absolutely unbelievable even though their job is so hard. And the arts people made me realise what you were told as a child – you were good or bad at something – well, there’s no such thing as bad art. I feel so lucky to be alive.”
Find out more about Grampian Hospitals Arts Trust: www.ghat-art.org.uk
