TO celebrate the building of a new Adult Mental Health Unit at Llandough Hospital, mental health service users and staff have helped create a piece of prose.

A range of small group writing sessions, led by creative writing lecturer Briony Goffin, were held in the grounds of Whitchurch Hospital and the Llanfair Unit.

Briony formed a complete, seemless piece of text from the writing produced in the workshops.

The text will be displayed in the new Hafan y Coed (Haven of Trees) unit at University Hospital Llandough, where it will inspire service users, staff members and visitors.

The first verse, of seven, reads:

White butterfly on the skyline,

Bees buzz nearby

Breeze swaying trees, cooling

Sun warmed grass

Beneath my feet, feeling

Expanse of bright green.

The whole of the piece, or parts of it, will also be reproduced as either a textual artwork or series of separate works within Hafan y Coed.

Briony Goffin, creative writing lecturer at Cardiff University, said: “Participants were invited to respond to the setting by tuning into what they saw, what they heard, what they felt…and record these experiences in simple, yet vital language.

“By bringing the natural world inside the fabric of the hospital, as embodied through words, ideas and written images, it is intended that readers’ imaginations will be taken beyond waiting rooms and corridors to somewhere fertile and expansive.

“The work is also intended to reveal the creative capabilities of service users and staff within the hospital.”

Simone Joslyn, clinical project lead, said: "The arts strategy group was overwhelmed with the work Briony has facilitated and are sure that it will inspire, provide hope and encompass recovery for all who use the new unit".