My story and fund-raising
I love creating! It has a very special place in my heart... quite literally!
When I was 46, I developed a heart condition and, as part of the road to recovery, I was encouraged to do something relaxing. So I started painting. I hadn’t done any art since I was at school but, bizarrely and out of nowhere, I had developed a new skill! Paintings for friends and family soon grew into more and more commissions!
I then started to try new things and combine different media - traditional watercolours, acrylics, inks and crayons; to create something quite new. Using my training in design, I will sometimes even use the range of modern digital techniques available to sketch out and prepare compositions. The end result is a unique combination of media - a secret recipe, so to speak - to create something affordable and special.
FUNDRAISING
I decided to raise money for charity including The British Heart Foundation, Epilepsy Action and Children with Cancer. I also supported a range of other charities and local causes raising £1000s in donations and in kind. I’m honoured to be the recipient of the Epilepsy Action Fundraiser Award and a BBC Fundraiser of the Year Award.
I now raise money for The Creative Health Trust UK, a charity I founded to support Hospices and creative activities to help well-being.
I was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours for services to charity, education and people with epilepsy.