CREATIVE youngsters have designed a colourful mural to help make a hospital ward more child-friendly.

Earlier this year, a series of workshops was held at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, as part of a project looking at ways to make the journey to have an x-ray less daunting for younger people.

Pupils from Teesside Preparatory School, plus children of members of staff, came up with a wealth of ideas, including way-finding routes, interactive skeletons and child-friendly information in patient areas.

Working with animator Sheila Graber, who has been involved with the trust's healing arts programme, they also filled in questionnaires and walked various hospital routes.

Their work has now come to fruition, and youngsters going from the children's outpatients area to the x-ray department can follow the path of Jack the cabin boy and his cat CC.

A larger-than-life skeleton and mural for the waiting room wall have also been created.

Margaret McGloin, deputy director of the hospital's built environment, said: "Initially, we looked at x-ray, because with its hi-tech equipment it can be quite frightening for children. We've involved Sheila, as she's worked with children in the hospital before and is excellent at translating ideas into realistic projects, so she was ideally suited to this project.

"The input from the children has been invaluable, and they came up with some fantastic and imaginative ideas, some of which we've managed to put into practice."