In January 2026, as barn swallows and swifts spent the winter months in South Africa, St Columba’s Hospice Care and Helderberg Hospice embarked on a creative journey of their own.
Partnering with environmental artist Ed Harrison, hospice communities in Scotland and South Africa came together to explore themes of hope, loss and connection.
Over the following months, a series of workshops unfolded across both countries, bringing together papercraft and Scottish and African folktales inspired by the remarkable journeys of these migratory birds.
Their annual return became a gentle metaphor for remembrance, resilience and the enduring connections that transcend distance and loss.
Wild Wings of Hope has had a profoundly positive impact at St Columba's Hospice Care, creating opportunities for reflection and creativity across our community.
Project Highlights
Paper swallows & swifts were handcrafted in workshops & exchanged by post between hospice communities.
of hope
Written by hospice patients, staff & visitors, these messages travelled by post & became part of community-created corridor displays.
Bringing hospice communities together to explore themes of loss & hope through shared stories, papercraft & creative writing.
engaged
Through the workshops & exhibitions across hospice communities in Scotland & South Africa.
Messages in Flight
Messages of hope, alongside handcrafted paper birds, were created by patients, staff, loved ones and the wider community at St Columba’s Hospice. In an echo of ancient migration routes, creative materials and artworks travelled between Scotland and South Africa, culminating in parallel exhibitions across both hospices.
The exchange created a powerful sense of connection across distance, bringing people together through shared acts of creativity and reflection.
As paper birds and messages of hope accumulated, hospice corridors became living artworks of collective care. Patients, staff, visitors and loved ones were invited to add their own reflections, creating growing, community-created displays that brightened shared spaces and fostered a sense of connection and belonging.
Through shared acts of making, storytelling and reflection, the project became a reminder that hope can travel across great distances, and that creativity can help sustain the threads that bind us across time and place.
About the Lead Artist
Ed Harrison is an Edinburgh-based environmental artist, designer and illustrator whose work explores connections between people, nature and place. Through Wild Wings of Hope, he uses storytelling, craft and participation to celebrate migration, resilience and hope.
National Museums Scotland launch
A three-day celebration of papercraft, oral storytelling and conservation, marking the public launch of Wild Wings of Hope during the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2025 and Black History Month Scotland.
