PATIENTS at a Kidderminster’s Kemp Hospice have been showing off their artistic skills with the help of a council grant.

They have produced a 5m long mural, which is currently being displayed at the Kidderminster Library gallery.

The project - called Endless Change - was funded by £980 of Xpression grant cash from Wyre Forest District Council.

Artist David Johnson, whose wife is a therapist at the hospice, came up with a rough design for the mural, themed around the four seasons.

About 40 patients took part, adding their own ideas to the piece using acrylic paint.

Toni McEvoy, creative therapist at the hospice said: “There has been much laughter and fun while creating the artwork for the exhibition and we hope many people will go to Kidderminster Library to view it.

“I think to begin with the patients were a bit reticent and wondered whether they could do it because it seemed such a huge task.

“Once they got into it, though, they really loved it. They were so absorbed by it and it was a really good atmosphere when they were all working on it.”

Ms McEvoy said the patients, who suffer from cancer or other life-threatening illnesses, had gained confidence in their own abilities.

“The achievement of it is quite stunning,” she added. “It’s given them a lot of hope that they can still do something really creative in a difficult situation.”

The mural, along with other artwork and craft created by patients, will be exhibited at the library until March 26.