An original painting has been unveiled by a North Yorkshire home care company to honour the dedication of its staff during the coronavirus crisis.
The picture, entitled The Rainbow of Hope, features the names of 135 carers and office staff from Harrogate-based Continued Care, set within the colours of an overarching rainbow.
The painting is by well-known Harrogate artist Anita Bowerman, who has previously held the roles of artist in residence at RHS Harlow Carr Gardens and official artist of the Tour de Yorkshire.
Anita was asked by Continued Care’s director Samantha Harrison to create a painting that would symbolise the hard work and dedication shown by her home care staff during such a difficult and worrying time.
Samantha said: “Every single person in our team has worked tirelessly to look after and protect some of the most vulnerable people in our community. They have stood united and made an amazing contribution to help Continued Care navigate our way through the pandemic and protect our clients and colleagues.
“Anita and I have been friends for years, and I mentioned to her that I wanted to pay a lasting tribute to everyone and she offered to paint me a picture. She thought of the wonderful idea of putting all the names of our staff in a rainbow. Rainbows have always symbolised hope and light, and during lockdown became a really special symbol of unity and appreciation of our frontline workers.”
The painting shows the rainbow shining brightly over Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, Thirsk and Settle, the areas covered by Continued Care’s services. It will take pride of place in the family-run company’s head office in Harrogate, and cards have been made of the picture as well.
Anita, who is based at The Dove Tree Art Gallery and Studio in Harrogate, specialises in paintings, paper cuts and stainless steel artworks. She recently created an art installation consisting of 191 stainless-steel boots on a tree at Castle Howard for Yorkshire Cancer Research.
She said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to create this piece of artwork for Samantha and her incredible team at Continued Care who cared for so many people during the pandemic. I instantly had a vision of a special rainbow into which I would paint the names of all 135 carers using a tiny paintbrush in gouache. I also added doves, angels and stars too.”
Continued Care is based in Harrogate with satellite offices in Ripon and Settle. It offers a range of home care services, from help with cleaning, shopping, medication and personal care right through to 24 hour care. The company, which is rated Outstanding by the CQC, was last year named the Best Home Care Employer at regional finals of the Great British Care Awards.
