Boy creates award-winning film from Leeds hospital bed

Boy creates award-winning film from Leeds hospital bed

Published Date:
14 July 2008
By Katie Baldwin
Health Reporter

A 14-YEAR-old kidney patient has been given a national arts award for an animated film he created from his hospital bed.

Gavin Rosie is one of only a few youngsters nationwide to have achieved the qualification while being taught in hospital.

He has chronic kidney failure and undergoes dialysis twice a week at St James's Hospital in Leeds.

Gavin has been ill since the age of three and in future may need a kidney transplant.

He is taught during his dialysis and the work from his weekly art class has won him a Bronze Arts Award.

Gavin's teacher Tim Boardman said: "I am very, very proud.

"This is the first time I'm aware of – and one of only a few – that a child undergoing treatment in hospital has got this qualification."
The inspiration behind Gavin's animation was classic computer game Sonic the Hedgehog.

Mr Boardman, who teaches for Education Leeds' Hospital and Home Teaching Service, said: "He did a series of drawings and characters.

Then he created his own characters called Hazard and Inferno.

"We then turned them into Plasticine and turned it into a short animation." The film, which comes complete with sound effects, was made by Gavin over four lessons.

Each Plasticine model has to be painstakingly moved a tiny amount and photographed to make the finished film – all while the teenager was hooked up to a dialysis machine.

Other work towards the Arts Award included researching the artist who designed Sonic the Hedgehog and Gavin even delivering a lesson to his teacher and a nurse. Next he is aiming for another award with a different arts project.

Gavin, who achieved the Bronze Level 1 award, said: "I am pleased but it could have been a silver.

"That's what I want to do next."

His mum Karen, from Holme Wood in Bradford, said: "I think it's great. I'm very proud but I don't let him know too much – he's got a big enough head already!"

Alice Young, head of the Arts Award programme, said: "Congratulations to Gavin and his Arts Award adviser. It is a fantastic achievement to have gained a nationally recognised qualifications for anyone, and even more special for a young man facing so many challenges."

Arts Award is a national qualification to recognise the development of young people as artists.