Photo exhibition encourages hospital staff to share their hobbies in ‘Come As You Really Are’

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Within the NHS Darkroom project, staff at participating hospitals are encouraged to explore their skills and experience in photography

An NHS worker cut next to an image of surgeons
"The NHS Darkroom project, part of the Newcastle Hospitals Charity Arts Programme, is encouraging hospital staff in the North East to share joyful hobbies and interests through photography" (Image credit: Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art)

Working within the UK's National Health Service (NHS) can be one of the most stressful and challenging jobs, with long nights, regular burnout and very little time and energy left for hobbies and a social life.

A new project called Come As You Really Are is encouraging North East hospital staff to share the hobbies and interests that bring them joy.

Newcastle Hospitals Charity and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (NGCA) has partnered with Sunderland-based photographer, lecturer and former nurse, Johannah Churchill, for the 2025 edition of NHS Darkroom.

The project was launched in 2023 as part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity’s Art Programme, aiming to improve the wellbeing and recovery of patients and staff. Within NHS Darkroom, staff at the participating hospitals are encouraged to explore their skills and experience in photography.

This year, inspired by the NGCA’s Main Gallery exhibition Come As You Really Are, hospital staff are invited to share their hobbies, crafts or collections that bring them joy and provide a creative outlet.

(Image credit: Abbas Khushnood)

They will sit for professional portraits with Churchill, and will also participate in workshops to develop their own photographs and hobbies. The portraits will be displayed, with free access, across the NGCA’s Collection Space and Newcastle Hospital sites between May 17 and July 16.

Jon Weston, curator at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, said: "We are delighted to partner with Newcastle Hospitals Charity on their innovative NHS Darkroom project in Summer 2025.

"We have seen the positive impact the previous projects have had on NHS staff at Newcastle Hospitals and are delighted to offer a public space to share the brilliant and insightful photography produced.

"NHS Darkroom at NGCA will draw on the exhibition Come As You Really Are in the Main Gallery, celebrating the vibrancy and importance of the hobbies and creative activities the staff undertake in their free time."

Churchill’s photographic work focuses on telling stories about people’s lives shaped by the connection to ourselves and others. She moves between portraiture and documentary, emotionally exploring what it is to be human. In 2024, she was shortlisted for Portrait of Britain for her photograph Yann, Medical Engineering Apprentice.

For more information, visit the Newcastle Hospitals Charity website.

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Leonie Helm
Leonie Helm
Staff Writer

After graduating from Cardiff University with an Master's Degree in Journalism, Media and Communications Leonie developed a love of photography after taking a year out to travel around the world. 

While visiting countries such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and Ukraine with her trusty Nikon, Leonie learned how to capture the beauty of these inspiring places, and her photography has accompanied her various freelance travel features. 

As well as travel photography Leonie also has a passion for wildlife photography both in the UK and abroad. 

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