A BRADFORD-born artist is leading a creative team producing a series of banners to celebrate our essential workers and volunteers during the coronavirus crisis.

Ian Beesley, 66, and his team including poet Ian McMillan, have produced colour lockdown banners to celebrate the dedication of NHS and key workers so far. They plan to make a further three banners.

These are all available to download for free in colour in an A3 size for the public online.

Fellow artists, Martyn Hall and Tony Husband, have also contributed to the ongoing project.

The first banner to be produced, in honour of the NHS, features the slogan; 'Forever In The Heart of the Nation - Our NHS - All for One and One for All' .

It includes a heart shape which represents health and caring, a portrait of Nye Bevan, the founder of the NHS, and an image of Trafford General in Manchester - the first NHS hospital.

The clock has been altered to 8pm in recognition of the time when the public applaud the NHS, carers and key workers during lockdown.

The inspiration for the banners from the national banner collection held by the People's History Museum in Manchester.

Mr Beesley and his colleagues produced a series of trade union banners for an exhibition which was touring a number of museums across the country when the lockdown was announced, leading to the versions created to honour key workers and volunteers.

The latest creation, features the slogan; 'Keyworkers Unlocking the Future'.

Mr Beesley, 66, who was born in Eccleshill and former Bradford Art College student, said: "I am the artist for the Bradford Institute for Health Research based at the Bradford Royal Infirmary.

"With a number of my artist friends we have started to create banners that reflect the times we are living through but also celebrate the important contributions of the NHS, carers, key workers and volunteers.

"We are trying to distribute copies of the banners to as many people as possible so they can display them.

"We did the NHS one first and got such a massive response. Then we thought we could do one for the key workers. We have just finished that. We are doing the carers one next. We've got volunteers then. We have five banners to do altogether.

"The banners we produced usually go on display in public places. We want to get them out to the people.

"People seem to be engaged with it. People also want to show their support for these people. You could put them up in your window. Each banner will have a beautiful poem by Ian McMillan. The first one was called 'Let's Clap for our NHS'.

"The banners are free and all we ask is for people to look after each other and to donate to a foodbank."

The two banners already completed are available to download for free in colour in an A3 size for the public online in a PDF format.

Go to theunfurlings.org.uk/lockdown-banners/ to download a free banner.