Tara Jackson realised that the stuffed toys and shag rug wall hanging were the wrong choices for the children's room of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department and would have to go because they harboured dust mites.

She knew, however, that colourful de mcor was an important distraction for youngsters undergoing treatment, and particularly asthma patients who could may spend as much as six hours in the room whilst being treated for an attack.

Inspired by the bright paintings on the walls of the Paediatric Ward, nurse Jackson turned to the same source -- Meet a Mum Association -- for similar help. As a result, member artists Charlotte Codling and Debbie Larcher were only too pleased to oblige.

Thus it is that a fantasy of Disney characters -- chosen for their timelessness and universal popularity -- now brighten what could be otherwise be a frightening area for children.

Certainly, the effect has been salutary.

"It has made a real difference to the young patients,'' a clearly delighted nurse Jackson said. "We have had a lot of positive comments from children and parents alike. In fact, the kids say, `I want the room with the pictures'.''