A Product Design student from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), whose art work led to her raising more than £2,000 for her local hospital, has been honoured with an award for going the extra mile to help people during the pandemic.
Nicole with some of the pictures she drew on request to raise funds for the NHS
Nicole Rhena, who is in her first year at DMU, is one of 12 people to have been handed a First Art Shine a Light Award as well as being named a local hero.
We previously reported how Nicole had used her time between finishing sixth form and starting her studies at DMU with an artwork showing frontline health workers gathered around Chesterfield’s famous ‘crooked spire’ St Mary and All Saints parish church.
Following a simple Facebook post of her artwork there was an unexpected demand from people wanting a copy, with requests coming from as far as Bournemouth on the south coast to Newcastle up in the north east.
Her posts were also shared by X Factor, Loose Women and I’m a Celebrity star Stacey Solomon.
Nicole hand drew 180 replicas of the original piece over the space of a month to send to people and raised £2,150 for the NHS through donations.
A close-up of one of the pictures hand drawn by Nicole
The funds, along with a piece of Nicole’s artwork, have been sent to Chesterfield Royal Hospital, where money is being used to add to care facilities for patients and offer health and well-being experiences to primary care staff.
Nicole has now been honoured with a First Art Shine a Light Award in recognition of her efforts and recognised as a ‘local hero’ in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area.
First Art, which celebrates community life by organising cultural events, now plans to commission a local artist to create a portrait of Nicole.
Nicole said: “It was crazy to hear I had been nominated and I was very thankful and then, when I was told I had won an award, it felt amazing.
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“My passion is art and design and I wasn’t doing too much last summer so I wanted to create something to benefit others.”
Nicole with the cheque for her local hospital
Nicole started her first year at DMU in October last year and admits the latest lockdown, since New Year, has been tough for everyone, but she loves the Product Design course. She is currently in her accommodation in Leicester as she has siblings at home in Derbyshire and being on her own helps her focus more.
“I really enjoyed the first term because I got to move in with flat mates and we did get to go into the university,” she said.
“Then the latest lockdown happened and it has been tough for everyone but I have to concentrate on doing what I need to do. The tutors are so supportive and they get back to me really quickly if I need any help.
“I love being in Leicester at the moment.”
Posted on Friday 12 February 2021