Scots photographer donates pictures to cheer up NHS wards

An up-and-coming photographer from the Highlands is hoping to bring smiles to the faces of frontline NHS workers by offering his pictures free of charge to wards.

In a bid to cheer up staff and patients during the coronavirus crisis, Lewis Matheson has asked hospitals to look at the photographs on his website and choose what they would like to see hang on the ward walls.

The 24-year-old, from Clachtoll, has already received a number of requests, including from Raigmore hospital and Migdale hospital in the Highlands, where staff chose an atmospheric image of a rainbow.

The 23-year-old hopes looking at his photos can provide a moment of respite for under-pressure frontline workers.

Request: Staff at Migdale Hospital chose this image of a rainbow over a bothy. (Lewis Matheson/Taigh Solais)

He said: “I had been working in Edinburgh as a bar supervisor but when the pandemic began I was furloughed.

“This meant I had a lot of time on my hands and so I had seen a lot of social media posts, written by NHS staff, sharing selfies after their shifts, in which they are physically and mentally drained from working on the front line.

‘The picture of the rainbow over the bothy seems fitting as all across the UK we’re seeing folk stick rainbows to their windows to show their support.’
Lewis Matheson

“I just wanted to help bring a smile to their faces, even if it was just in passing during a down moment.”

Lewis added: “Most of my photos are of sea and landscapes so I’m hoping they could help bring a bit of colour and space to the wards.

“The picture of the rainbow over the bothy seems fitting as all across the UK we’re seeing folk stick rainbows to their windows to show their support.”