The project Bath War Hospital: ‘Acts of Kindness’ showcased at the Royal United Hospital in Bath has received a recognition by going through to the finalist stage at the Remember WW1 Awards. There were twenty projects in total, selected across five categories from over 160 entrants. The Awards celebrate the huge effort made throughout the UK by individuals and groups to commemorate World War One.

Art at the Heart (AATH), the project based at the hospital, attended the awards ceremony at the Army and Navy Club in Pall Mall, London on 2nd November and achieved runner up in the Arts & Creativity category. The exhibition has been showcased in the RUH Central Gallery revealing how small acts of kindness from the community helped to support the operation of the hospital during the War.

The exhibition, funded by the Heritage Lottery: First World War ‘Then and Now’ Fund (HLF) reflected the day-to-day life at the Bath War Hospital and was an opportunity to explore the concept of compassionate community support; drawing upon the comfort that this brought to recovering soldiers, as well as gaining insight into how such relationships support recovery and wellbeing.

A Theatre Royal Creative Fund grant funded workshops on the Children’s ward and four 3D Multimedia tapestries with Artist, Edwina Bridgeman, were produced to feature within the exhibition.

Furthermore, The Art at the Heart team will be joining forces with The Natural Theatre Company in February 2017 to bring a Bath War Hospital interactive experience to Queens Square; details are still to be confirmed. In conjunction with this event, there will also be the opportunity to see the Bath War Hospital ‘Acts of Kindness’ exhibition at the BRSLI, where it will be on show for a week. It is now installed in its permanent home on the RUH 1st Floor (Zone B).

An RUH Heritage website is currently being created as a Bath War Hospital digital platform, to show the film as well as research, archives and interviews so that ongoing research and collection of memorabilia from members of the community can continue. You can now view the evaluation film on the Bath War Hospital Exhibition by visiting the evaluation section on the website: www.artatruh.org