Animation company donates art to hospital

Locksmith Animations donating the cartoon characters to paediatric department at the Royal Free Hospital reports Sophie Winch

Four people standing behind a framed artwork — Credit – Royal Free Charity

Young patients at the Royal Free can now see concept art of cartoon characters on the walls of the paediatric ward following a donation from an animation company.

“We just want people to look at this artwork feel happy and transported from where they are at that moment,” says Shelley Page, head of talent at Locksmith Animations, which has recently donated a collection of its concept artwork to the Royal Free Charity’s hospital art collection.

The artwork, created in the early stages of animation to help develop animators’ visions, features colourful characters, piglets and space scenes from the films of Locksmith Animations, a London-based global animation studio, which most recently produced That Christmas in 2024.

Locksmith Animations donated these pieces in the hope that they could provide a distraction from treatment, and offer children escapism. By donating the artwork, Shelley aims to improve the atmosphere of a paediatric ward, an “off-putting” environment where there’s nothing “to capture the imagination”.

The Royal Free Charity currently houses a collection of 1900 curated pieces, across its four main hospitals, overseen by Royal Free Charity art curator Joss Blake. This artwork is provided to enhance the wellbeing of both patients and staff.

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