During the Covid lockdown, Fannie Storr, a dear friend of mine passed away at the age of 89 in a care home. Fannie trained as a Nightingale nurse in the early years of the NHS.
She went as a missionary to South Korea with a colleague to set up a nursing hospital, and later worked in the East End of London where some of her experiences were used as background material in the BBC series ’Call the Midwife’. After becoming a nursing sister she was appointed Head of the School of Nursing at Gloucester Royal Hospital where she oversaw the merger with Cheltenham School of Nursing and then lead the only nurse training programme in Gloucestershire of which she became the Director.
During one of my last visits I took a photograph of her hand as the lines and shape spoke so much of her life. After Fannie died I found a piece of alabaster in which I could see a hand and began to carve.
Here is a video and a few images to show the progression of the sculpture, from the original stone, through to the completed work.
Although Fannie died at the peak of the first wave of Covid 19, it was from natural causes. Her care home was in isolation due to the lock down and the restrictions meant her friends couldn’t visit, and there was a small funeral.
After such a considerable contribution to this world, I wanted to carve this hand to celebrate Fannie’s life which is also a representation of those who care for other’s, especially the nurses during this crisis.
This piece is now on display at NHS Sandford Education Centre, part of Cheltenham General Hospital, you can read more about it here.
Material: Brown Alabaster
Dimensions: 32cm x 10cm x 8cm