YOUNG artists have launched an animation to help boost their wellbeing.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity and DaDa Disability and Deaf Arts have collaborated to support young patients in creating an animation film over the past three years.

The project, known as the ‘Alder Experiences’, culminated in a premiere of the final cut at Alder Hey this week.

Commissioned by DaDa, this initiative provided children receiving care at the hospital an opportunity to work with Liverpool-based, disabled-led film company, Twin Vision, to create an animation.

The film portrayed a realistic depiction of a child’s experience at Alder Hey, blended with elements of fantasy to spark creativity.

The project was commissioned by DaDa (Image: DaDa) The young artists received one-on-one and group training from the animation company, learning diverse animation techniques and creating characters for the final edit.

Parents of a participant explained the positive effect of the project on their daughter’s mental health.

They said: "The art has helped her again with her mental health.

"It's given her that focus, something to focus on when she gets really overwhelmed quite quickly.

"It's encouraged her now to the extent where she's now at college and she's got a quite sizable group of friends, more like minded artists.

"And it really is, it's amazing."

The animation film is supporting young patients (Image: DaDa) The partnership between DaDa and Alder Hey, which began in 2018, started as a three-year social prescribing project, connecting young outpatients with artists for one-on-one sessions to support artistic development.

This collaboration has expanded, thanks to funding from Liverpool City Council and Arts Council England, enabling support for more young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing through creativity.

DaDa executive producer, Rachel Rogers, said: "Our ongoing partnership with Alder Hey is something we are immensely proud of.

"DaDa is about creating equity within the arts, particularly empowering disabled artists to explore creativity, develop their practice, and produce quality art.

"This project has provided space for us to work with young people who wouldn’t have opportunities to develop their craft in this way."

Young artists got to learn animation techniques and create characters (Image: DaDa) Alder Hey's arts for health manager, Vicky Charnock, said: "This programme has reached long-term patients, who have to spend many weeks in hospital, as well as young people accessing our mental health services.

"We have seen confidence and self-esteem improve through participation, as well as young people having the opportunity to develop animation and film-making skills for the first time."

The animation is being screened in Alder Hey waiting rooms, streamed on patient televisions, and available on the DaDa website.