Newcastle United and Wor Flags teamed up to host an art workshop at the Great North Children’s Hospital, with Magpies stars making a surprise visit to help young patients design a flag in celebration of the club’s Carabao Cup triumph.
Kieran Trippier and Emily Murphy channelled their artistic flair for the afternoon to help a group of young patients add finishing touches to their artwork, as Wor Flags hosted a special guest takeover of Newcastle Hospitals Charity’s art programme.
The arts programme provides patients, staff and the wider Newcastle Hospitals community with opportunities to take part in creative activities – such as photography, printmaking, creative writing, crafting and live music – which has been proven to improve wellbeing and support patient recovery in hospitals.
Wor Flags’ design masterclass featured an overview of the inspiration behind their Wembley display, before patients were set the challenge of creating a flag of their own. Elements of each design were transformed into a flag commemorating the cup win, which was displayed in the Gallowgate End at St. James’ Park during the season-concluding fixture against Everton.
Speaking at the Great North Children’s Hospital, Kieran Trippier said: “The amount of supporters around the city and Town Moor for the parade was incredible, but we also understand that there are a lot of members of the community who were unable to join the celebrations, including the children and parents we met at the hospital, so it was nice to go along with my medal and help to put smiles on faces.”
“As players, we greatly appreciate the time and effort behind each Wor Flags design as it really helps to lift everyone ahead of kick-off. Seeing the kids’ flag displayed at St. James’ Park on Sunday was another special moment for us.”
Dan Lycett of Wor Flags added: “Since day one, we’ve spoken about Wor Flags being involved in more than just displays at St. James’ Park: it’s about ensuring that all areas of the community feel connected.
“Hearing kids and parents express how much they love matchdays because they can feel the atmosphere of St. James’ Park really touched our hearts, so we wanted to help strengthen that bond between them and the club. We feel honoured to have hosted the workshop and were proud to display their flag in the Gallowgate End.”
The workshop was supported by Newcastle United Foundation staff, funded through The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation – part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity – who work year-round with young patients and their families at the Great North Children’s Hospital to provide vital respite support through activities, games and team building.
Katie Newell, Head of Arts Programmes at Newcastle Hospitals Charity said: “We were delighted to partner with Newcastle United and Wor Flags, to give some children and young people at the Great North Children’s Hospital an opportunity to come together to create a new flag design. The drawings created in the workshop really show their creative talent and how excited they were by the Carabao Cup win. We loved seeing all their drawings being shared with the fans in the stadium.”
