A poem from the perspective of a father living with dementia and a photo of hopeful rays of sunlight have been announced as the winning entries of Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s ‘Give the Gift of Hope’ competition.
The Trust launched the competition in March, calling on people across the Black Country to send in poetry and photography based on the theme of hope, as a way to mark the coming of brighter days of Spring and the therapeutic benefits of creativity.
Entries flew in from across the Black Country, from service users, patients, carers and Trust staff. They were then judged by a panel of staff, governors and people with a lived experience of mental health before the winners were chosen from shortlisted entries.
Conor Hill and Vilma Jureviciute have been chosen as the winners of the best poem and best photograph respectively.
Conor won first prize in the poetry category for his work ‘The Stranger on a Windswept Day’ which is written from the perspective of a father living with dementia during an encounter with his son.
Conor, who works as a bricklayer, has been writing poetry since 2023 and shares his poetry on social media to share his perspective on the world and to put a smile on people’s faces.
Reacting to his win, Conor said: “I saw this competition and knew that I could create a poem to fit the category because the beauty of poetry is that you can write about absolutely anything.
“I’m very honoured to be recognised for my writing but even more so from such an organisation as the NHS. I write my poetry not for myself but for the hope that I can send out into the world.
“Being a 19 year old bricklayer that writes poetry, I’ve always felt different and I believe that everyone can individually offer this world that we live in something extraordinary.”
Vilma Jureviciute, who works as a Community Learning Disability Nurse at BCHFT, was crowned the winner of the photography category.
Her atmospheric winning photo depicts an evening at Southport Pier, with sun beams peeking out of dark clouds and reflecting on the sea.
Vilma said: “The picture was taken on a very windy and cold evening by the Southport Pier. The sunbeams represented hope, and even though I was absolutely frozen, I had to frame the moment.
“Photography, for me, is therapy—an escape into a magical world where I can capture not only what I see but also what I feel.
“I am truly thankful to the judges for ‘feeling’ my photo.”
The judges had a difficult job choosing the winners from the shortlist due to the quality of the entries, so special mentions were given to Jeevan Beards and Phil Davies for photography and Mary-Laura Peace and John Morris for poetry.
David Stocks, who works as a Suicide Prevention Community Inclusion Worker at BCHFT and is a keen poet and photographer, headed the team of judges. He was moved to tears by the quality and emotional depth of the entries.
David said: “Hope, the greatest gift of all, can be perceived in so many different ways. This is why we launched the competition as a means of spreading the positive message of hope, so it can be understood by as many people as possible.
“Through poetry and photography, my own journey has moved from despair to hope. The entries into this competition are outstanding, covering all age ranges and the broadest possible viewpoints. Judging was incredibly hard because of this, moving me to tears at their sheer quality.
“I feel privileged to have started something so amazing and transformative, and congratulate the winners who managed to stand out against such tough competition. This is the start of the creative journey across the Black Country, changing people’s lives and offering them that most precious of things, hope.”
A number of the poems will be collated into a ‘Gift of Hope’ book of poetry, photography and art to be published later this year and the team welcome creative contributions from the public. Copies of the entries will also be displayed across Trust sites.
To view the shortlisted entries and find out how to contribute work to the ‘Gift of Hope’ collection, visit: https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/get-involved/creative-corner