Northumberland man thanks NHS staff with donation of hand-made mosaic to Alnwick Infirmary

The hand-crafted plaque was made by Mark Stevenson, from Lesbury, as a way of showing his appreciation to the staff at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, for their hard work during the pandemic.

Made up of ceramic tiles, the mosaic shows the iconic rainbow symbol which has been used over the last few months to signify hope during the outbreak of coronavirus.

It has been placed in Alnwick Infirmary’s main corridor, near to the entrance of the hospital, for both staff and patients to see.

Mark, 60, who works for The Salvation Army, has said: “My dad had always said to me ‘you should always try to make someone happy every day’.

"Making the mosaic piece for my local hospital was a way of saying thank you for the amazing work NHS staff do, especially during these unprecedented times.

“I used to work as a maintenance officer in a hospital, so I’ve seen first-hand what front-line workers do, it’s magical. Donating this artwork made me feel incredibly humble. Staff were so grateful to receive such a small token of my appreciation.”

Annaluisa Wood, modern matron, said: ‘We are extremely grateful to know that people across the communities we serve are so supportive of our work.

“The plaque has had a positive impact on both staff and patients and helps to brighten up the hospital. It’s been a great morale booster as we go through these challenging times and a big thank you to Mark.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

If you can, please do pick up a copy when you are at the shops. Thank you for your support.