Professor Mahesh Nirmalan, Vice-Dean for Social Responsibility in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, has secured major funding from the Ogelsby Charitable Trust.

The award will enable the production of a new piece of public art ‘Birth and Death in My Life’ by award-winning artist, Mats Staub, in collaboration with the SICK! Festival. It will raise awareness and understanding of issues arising from critical care through personal stories, enabling the widest possible audience to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional and ethical issues.

SICK! Festival places art at the heart of positive health and health at the heart of outstanding art. Through creation, presentation and public conversation, the group empower diverse communities to confront the physical, mental and social challenges that are faced in individual and collective lives.

Professor Mahesh Nirmalan said: “The partnership between the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health , Manchester Foundation Trust and the SICK festival to launch a wide ranging public engagement programme, dealing with end of life issues, has been rewarded by a substantial grant from the Oglesby Trust. The willingness to address such key health issues through public engagement will draw the attention of key stake holders both nationally and internationally”.