A digital artist from Coventry has used his talents to do more for sick kids after creating his own colouring books for patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and raising over £1,700 for its charity.

In his day job, Avi Jandu, 29, is a Relationship Support Manager at HSBC but in his spare time, he turns his attentions to his digital drawings. It’s a talent he developed during lockdown, when he decided to use the time he’d usually spend commuting to the office, on rekindling his love of drawing.

Having also done some charity work during the pandemic, Avi felt inspired to use his talents for good and settled on the idea of creating a sports-themed colouring book for kids. With HSBC’s office based just around the corner from Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Avi knew its patients would be the perfect recipients.

Avi did plenty of research and made sure the logistics of his grand plan were sound before making a start on illustrations of sports stars such as England footballer Harry Kane, tennis player Emma Raducanu and even Lionesses and Aston Villa Women’s Hannah Hampton, who is also a Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity ambassador.

While Avi worked on his colouring book, he set up a Just Giving page to spread the word about the project, inviting friends, family and colleagues to join him in supporting the charity. On seeing Avi’s work in progress, his supporters gave generously and by the time he’d finished, he’d raised over £1,200. As an added bonus, through its match-funding scheme, Avi’s employers, HSBC, gladly donated a further £500, taking him to his £1,700 total.

Avi decided to foot the production costs of the colouring book himself, so that all of the money he’d raised could be donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, along with the books, which he’d made up into packs with colouring pencils and an activity page to keep patients occupied.

Avi said: “Although I hadn’t set myself a deadline, I’m really pleased to say that the project was completed just in time for Christmas. Hopefully colouring the pictures and completing the activities will have helped the kids pass some time in hospital, when I’m sure they’d rather have been at home.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me and donated to the hospital.”

Miranda Williams, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Avi’s colouring books have been so well received by patients across our hospital and we can’t thank him enough for the time he put into creating such a wonderful and welcome distraction for our brave patients.

“As well as the books helping to improve the experience of our children, the funds he raised will go towards helping us do more for even more of our sick kids.”