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Ed Sheeran and Grayson Perry help teen raises thousands for charity

Nathan Jones Noah with one of the paintingsNathan Jones
Noah is raising money to thank hospital staff who care for him

A teenager who collaborated with Ed Sheeran, comedian Joe Lycett and artist Grayson Perry has raised £250,000 for the hospital that treats him.

Noah, who has hydrocephalus, epilepsy and cerebral palsy, enjoys painting on cardboard at home in Dedham, Essex.

Artists from across the world finished the pieces, which were auctioned for Colchester Hospital.

His father Nathan Jones said the project had been "so very special for our little boy and family".

Ed Sheeran recorded a video message in support of the project
Ed Sheeran Ed Sheeran's artEd Sheeran
Ed Sheeran painted this over the background that Noah supplied for him, raising £2,650

The project started three years ago when 15-year-old Noah, who goes by the nickname Background Bob, started painting on cardboard to pass the time during lockdown while he could not attend school.

Mr Jones posted on Instagram asking people to collaborate with his son and hundreds of artists came forward. The idea was so popular that the resulting art was exhibited several times at Firstsite gallery in Colchester.

More than 260 original pieces of art were sold on eBay on Sunday night, including pieces finished by artists Shepard Fairey and Sam Fox - the latter better known as Mr Doodle.

The auction raised £66,000 for the Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity, taking the grand total to £250,000 through previous auctions and book sales.

social media post
Noah's father Nathan posted this message on social media and had a huge response
Grayson Perry Grayson Perry's pieceGrayson Perry
Grayson Perry painted this striking image over the background Noah sent to him, raising £5,200
Shepard Fairey Shepard Fairey's pieceShepard Fairey
American contemporary artist and activist Shepard Fairey collaborated with Noah on this piece, raising £3,800

Mr Jones said: "Every year we are blown away with how generous the public are when bidding.

"The whole week was thrilling watching the amount rapidly rise. To end up with over £60,000 we knew we had reached our ultimate goal of over a quarter of a million.

"We want to thank all the artists and the bidders for making this moment so very special for our little boy and family."

Nathan Jones Noah and Nathan painting at homeNathan Jones
Noah, who has hydrocephalus, epilepsy and cerebral palsy, began painting on cardboard at home to pass the time during lockdown
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