AYLA’S ARTS

Ayla, age 12 has been creating and selling artwork since the age of 9. She sells pictures to raise money for the play teams at Bristol Children's Hospital. These important teams provide children with fun activities to do whilst in hospital.

In 2021, whilst recovering from treatment for a malignant brain tumour, Ayla was provided with a home tutor for three hours a week through CHES. The tutor, as part of her home schooling, entered her for the Young Enterprise Fiver Challenge and Ayla was asked to set up a business with only £5.00. She had to choose a name, design a logo, do market research and create and launch a product and the main aim - to make a profit!

Ayla launched Ayla's Arts and ended up winning the 9-11 Inspiring
Individual award, which in 2021 had over 26,000 applicants.

During the Fiver challenge, Ayla went to Bristol Children’s Hospital to have the port removed that administered her treatment and as she was going up in the lift, she noticed a poster asking for donations to the children’s play teams (they had recently been struggling for items). At this point, Ayla decided that she wanted to use the profits from her business, to help the play teams at the hospital under the umbrella of the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal.

She set herself a personal target of £2000 with this money specifically
for the Ocean and Starlight wards at Bristol Children’s Hospital, which treat extremely ill children with cancer, as she wanted to give back to the play teams that had connected with her.

However, since reaching her target she extended this so all the play
teams in the hospital benefit from the money raised, but she knew she couldn’t do this alone. So, Ayla approached the play team and Grand Appeal asking for the patients’ help, so they could also create the pictures in hospital, giving them something fun and exciting to do and providing them with all the equipment– the children then have the choice to keep their creations or frame and donate it to Ayla’s Arts – the donated framed pictures are then taken over to The Grand Appeal shop and sold.

Ayla's Arts trollies are now successfully on Apollo, Starlight, Ocean,
Penguin, Dolphin, Bluebell, Sunflower, Caterpillar and Lighthouse wards in the hospital.

In February 2023 Ayla went for a routine MRI and unfortunately, they had found a new small mass, Ayla had to return to Bristol Children's Hospital for further brain surgery. She currently requires no further treatment, but is being monitored very closely and we remain as optimistic as we can at this stage.

In April 2023 she was nominated by The Grand Appeal for the BBC Make a Difference Fundraiser award and was shortlisted down to the final four in her category. She attended the award ceremony in September (alongside the other amazing and inspirational fundraisers) and won!!

Ayla wants to continue to fundraise as much money as possible and hopes that this can continue to happen with the support of the patients, her good friends, local businesses, The Grand Appeal charity and of course the lovely people who support Ayla’s Arts by buying these beautiful pictures.

Ayla’s Arts have been purchased by many and sent to people all over the world. So far, the pictures have reached, Italy, Andorra, New York, South Africa, Australia, Galapagos Islands, Canary Islands, Ecuador, Portugal, Barcelona, and the adventures of Ayla’s Artwork continues…………….

Bristol Children’s
Hospital is so important to anyone within the Southwest, covering the largest demographic area of any other children’s hospital within the UK.

So, your support is greatly appreciated.

The Mental Health Benefits of Arts and Crafts for Children

Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist “.

Art can support children’s emotional wellbeing, reduce anxiety, reduce stress levels and boost self-esteem.