A MOVING photograph of a couple holding hands on a Covid-19 ward at Worthing hospital has been selected for display by Kate Middleton.

Hayley Evans, from Worthing, took the image of her grandparents holding hands after they were both admitted to hospital with coronavirus.

The portrait is now part of a community project called Hold Still which is on display in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Hold Still, fronted by The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who is a patron of the National Portrait Gallery, was created to form a collective portrait of the UK during lockdown.

The Argus: The Duchess of Cambridge is a patron of the National Portrait Gallery.The Duchess of Cambridge is a patron of the National Portrait Gallery.

In May Pat, 91 and Ron Wood, 94 were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 within one week of each other.

While the couple, who were married for 71 years, were initially nursed separately, staff soon pushed their beds together, and then gave them their own room.

Pat died in her sleep, and Ron died five days later.

Hayley said in a statement accompanying the image that her grandparents spent their final days “exactly how they had spent the last 71 years, together.”

“They appreciated the tiny things and took nothing for granted.

“The ability to touch when they had so little left was a gift.

“It was the only way to show their love and devotion.”

Looking through a visor and wearing gloves, Hayley took the photograph, named Forever Holding Hands, on the final day she saw her grandparents.

She wrote: “It gives me so much comfort to know, in a world where we have to distance ourselves from each other that they had everything they ever wanted in the palm of their hands.

“This was the last time I saw them.”

In addition to the National Portrait Gallery display, Hayley’s image is on display on billboards across the country, including outside McDonald’s at Brighton Marina.

The photograph was selected out of more than 31,000 submissions from across the country.

All images were taken during a six-week period during May and June and focus on three core themes; Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness.

A selection panel, including The Duchess of Cambridge, National Portrait Gallery Director Nicholas Cullinan, the author and broadcaster Lemn Sissay, the Chief Nursing Officer for England Ruth May, and award-winning photographer Maryam Wahid, met via a video call in July to select 100 portraits for the exhibition.

The Duchess of Cambridge said: “I hope that the final 100 images will serve to showcase the experiences and emotions borne from the pandemic here in the UK, pay tribute to the awe-inspiring efforts of all those who have worked to protect those around them, and provide a space for us to pause and reflect upon these truly extraordinary times.

A select few images from the exhibition can be purchased online, and the full exhibition can also be viewed online. Search for the National Portrait Gallery website to view them.