Hastings shop’s Christmas baubles mural for NHS

The Bourne Minimarket and Off Licence, in Courthouse Street, decided to make the piece in recognition of the role of healthcare workers throughout the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Kieran O’Shaughnessy, who works in the shop, said more than 10,000 baubles have so far been used, with still more being added.

He said the festive mural had already proved to be popular among visitors to the store.

The piece spells out the letters ‘NHS’ in tribute to NHS workers.

Kieran added: “Customers from all over the world have come in to take pictures on their phones of it and send them to their friends so news of it has gotten around.”

He said the piece was made, thanks to members of the public donating baubles and the shop buying Christmas baubles from charity shops in town.

Kieran added that he came up with the idea to make the baubles mural on the ceiling and Natt Pickles came up with the design, as well as helping the store make it.

Kieran said: “It took around two weeks to complete it and we are still adding more baubles. We started making it last month.”

The store designs a similar mural each year, Kieran said, with one year featuring an Union Jack flag.

He said: “This year we decided to dedicate it to the NHS.”

Last year the shop raised around £3,500 for the family of seven-year-old Denny Nassy, from Hastings, who died of leukaemia in September this year.

This year customers can guess the exact number of baubles up on the ceiling for a donation, which will go to charity, Kieran said.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.