Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Nurse turns superhero in Banksy's NHS tribute

A young boy chooses a nurse as the superhero he wants to play with over Batman and Spiderman in a new artwork by Banksy that encapsulates the gratitude Britons have felt toward the NHS during the coronavirus crisis.

The painting by the secretive street artist was unveiled at University Hospital Southampton, in south England, on Wednesday (6).


An image of the work was also posted on Banksy's Instagram page with the caption "Game Changer".

Hospital chief executive Paula Head said: "So proud to reveal this amazing piece of art 'Painting for Saints', created by #Banksy as a thank you to all those who work with and for the NHS and our hospital."

"An inspirational backdrop to pause and reflect in these unprecedented times," she added on Twitter.

It is not the first Banksy work inspired by Covid-19. He posted scenes of his trademark stencilled rats running amok in a bathroom last month, accompanied by the comment: "My wife hates it when I work from home."

His existing "Girl with a Pierced Eardrum" mural was also updated with the addition of a blue surgical mask, although the update was not confirmed to be his work on Instagram.

The new painting will be on display at the hospital until after the lockdown and it will then be auctioned for NHS charities, according to the BBC.

More For You

A not happy young girl

Around 51 per cent of those aged 15 to 19 are already estimated to be living with a mental or behavioural disorder

iStock (Photo for representation)

5 reasons why two-thirds of UK teens face mental health risks

  • Nearly 64 per cent of UK teenagers could face mental health issues by 2030
  • More than 10.5 million Britons are expected to suffer from anxiety by 2028
  • Only 53 per cent of people with mental health conditions are currently in work

The scale of the problem is becoming harder to ignore. A new report from Zurich Insurance suggests that mental health conditions are no longer an outlier among British teenagers but increasingly the norm. Around 51 per cent of those aged 15 to 19 are already estimated to be living with a mental or behavioural disorder, ranging from anxiety and depression to ADHD. If current trends continue, that figure could rise to 64 per cent by 2030.

The implications go beyond health. Policymakers are beginning to link this surge to broader economic risks, particularly youth unemployment. Nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK are already classified as not in education, employment or training, and experts warn that worsening mental health could deepen this challenge. Only 53 per cent of Britons with a mental health condition are in work, compared with 82 per cent of those without, according to Zurich’s findings.

Keep ReadingShow less