A children's ward has been turned into a galaxy far, far away.

Rockets, planets, stars and cheeky aliens now adorn the walls of the playroom at the Galaxy Ward at Barnet General Hospital, in Wellhouse Lane.

Artist Alessandra Tortone was asked to carry out the work by children’s charity Camp Simcha.

The 35-year-old, of Heritage Road, Colindale, who volunteers for the charity said: “I started helping Camp Simcha about 4 or 5 years ago. When I paint murals I can see how much the children love looking at them.

“If I can use my art to make their time in hospital a bit less intimidating and make the playroom an inviting place for them to be, then I feel I can make a difference.”

Camp Simcha supports 1,000 families with terminally ill children from the Jewish community, organising balloon and toy deliveries and events for people of all denominations, cultures and religions.

The ward was previously known as Treasure Island but when it was renamed, doctors decided to give it a new burst of colour.

Barnet General play specialist, Jill De Graag, said: “We were redecorating Galaxy Ward, which used to be and we asked Camp Simcha if they could help us with a mural to go with our theme.

“The brought in Alessandra, one of their volunteers, who did a beautiful job and the playroom looks amazing. The children love it and so do we, and we are really grateful to Alessandra for her time and effort in creating it.”