Covid Scotland: Public art exhibition honouring NHS reveals dates in Edinburgh as part of UK tour

The free-to-visit exhibition, titled Gratitude, will travel UK-wide first going on display in Birmingham at Chamberlain Square next month and then eventually taking its place in Scotland’s Capital in September.

It will include 51 sculptures by artists and designers including Pam Hogg, Andrew Logan and Kitty Johnson.

Actor Hugh Bonneville, DJ Fatboy Slim, and TV presenter and actor Adil Ray are among the stars who will voice real-life stories and poems about the pandemic as part of the exhibition.

Sculptures from the Gratitude art exhibition (David Oates/PA).

Actor Christopher Eccleston, actress Sarah Parish and singer KT Tunstall will also feature.

The sculptures will be auctioned off at a later date with "substantial proceeds" from the sale going to NHS Charities Together, the organisers said in a statement.

They will also go on display in Manchester and London.

Ray said: "I'd delighted that Gratitude is launching in my home city of Birmingham and I am incredibly honoured to be voicing one of the stories.

"The pandemic has affected us all in so many different ways, so it's wonderful to be working on such a creative and thought-provoking installation, that we can all contribute to and experience."

Bonneville said: "It's been a very tough year for everyone, but especially for our key workers, so I am honoured to have been asked to be part of Gratitude.

"The project will help shine a much-needed light on all the hard work and dedication of our wonderful NHS and all of the other key workers across the UK."

Gratitude will be on display in Birmingham from August 20 to 30.

It will then be in Manchester from September 3 to 12, followed by a stint in Edinburgh from September 17 to 26.

It will finish up in London from October 1 to 10.

Those keen to find out where exactly the art exhibition will be located can sign up to Gratitude’s newsletter to be the first to hear all the news about locations and dates.

Reporting via PA.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.