Former nurse's pandemic 'doodles' hung at hospitals

A retired nurse's "doodles" that captured the moments NHS staff went through during the Covid-19 pandemic have been hung at two hospitals.

Karen Reep, from Ampthill, Bedfordshire, said seeing her artwork at the Luton and Dunstable (L&D) and Bedford hospitals was "phenomenal".

Never formally trained, she said she started sketching her colleagues to show what they "went through".

"I was capturing a moment, I didn't want precision, I wanted a feeling."

Mrs Reep, 57, was a sister on the children's ward at the L&D for 30 years and retired from nursing in September.

She said she always painted as a hobby, but never went to art school as her parents told her to get "a proper job".

She realised the impact art could have in hospitals when her son, Ben, developed a brain tumour 10 years ago.

The first hospital he was treated had "bare walls and it was so depressing as there was nothing for me to look at or lighten the atmosphere", she said.

When he was transferred to Addenbrooke's in Cambridge, she said the "wards and corridors were full of pictures, art, photographs, things to take that pressure off and the children's ward was amazing, it was so colourful".

Explaining what it was like working through the pandemic, she said "staff were terrified and frightened".

"When Covid hit, it was such a surreal time that I decided to draw what I saw in really fast sketches," said Mrs Reep.

"I was capturing a moment, I didn't want precision, I wanted a feeling.

"I'm a big doodler, I wanted the staff to feel like I was capturing them, what they were doing.

"I didn't want anyone to forget what we went through in Covid and I wanted all staff to have memories."

Her work caught the eye of the "take heART" team at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which chose a selection from 70 pieces Mrs Reep created.

Seeing them on display, Mrs Reep said: "It's just brilliant, it's phenomenal."

"I just want the pictures for future generations to see this massive event, that impacted people's lives - I want some reflection."

Dr Rachel Chater, one of the founders of the project, said: "This collection of pictures depicts a range of moments in time, both during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the months that followed.

"Karen's wonderful use of line work and colour captures the people, their connection with each other and our imagination."

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