Scouts aim to brighten up your visit to hospital

Local artist Javed Saddique pictured at the Royal Oldham Hospital

A local scouts group in Oldham have been making a fantastic contribution to their local community with a special DIY project at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

The end result is set to be unveiled on Friday (August 3) by Oldham Mayor, Councillor Javid Iqbal.

Scouts from the 99th Oldham Compass Scouts group in Chadderton have been working with local artist Javed Saddique to undertake an ambitious DIY project in the waiting room of the Children’s Observation and Assessment Unit (OAU) at the hospital.

The scouts have been working with Javed to set up a new eye-catching design and redecorate the waiting room, making it a more inviting and pleasant experience for some of the hospital’s youngest patients.

The Mayor will be visiting the newly-decorated Children’s OAU with MP Jim McMahon at 3pm to meet the scouts group and unveil a plaque celebrating the project.

Amaara Khan, Senior NHS Commissioning Manager and Scout Leader, who has been one of the driving forces behind the project, said: “This project has been a great way for the scouts to not only work towards their DIY badge, but also engage with the local community in a creative way.

"We hope that this project will be the first of many with the hospital.

"We are looking at other ways that the children might get involved and engage with the NHS, and one of our future projects will be supporting the end PJ paralysis initiative, which aims to encourage patients to get dressed during their stay in hospital.”

Penny Martin, Divisional Managing Director for the Women and Children’s department at the hospital, said: “The scouts and Javed have done a fantastic job redecorating the children’s OAU waiting room.

"They have all worked so hard on the project and should be very proud of it. It’s incredible the difference it makes to the waiting area.

"I’m sure our children and parents will love it.”

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.