Art fair produces impressive figures
MACCLESFIELD Art Fair is celebrating its tenth anniversary in recordbreaking style.
The biennial fair has raised more than £62,000 this year for East Cheshire Hospice – exceeding last time’s total by more than £7,000.
“It’s far more than I expected and just shows how much our local community really care and support the hospice and the work it does,” said Art Fair chair, Fio Brereton.
More than £2,000 was raised from an auction of doodles by 10 personalities, including Sir Alex Ferguson CBE, cartoonist Tony Husband, musician Noddy Holder, actor Charlie Lawson, chef Simon Rimmer and Radio 4 journalist Nick Robinson. The Wall of Fame featured postcards designed by the celebrities, notably the former Manchester United manager’s drawing of a man in a flat cap under a lamplight.
The Art Fair has now established itself as one of the most respected art exhibitions in the North West and this year featured works of more than 100 local and regional artists, including established painters Ben Kelly and Jenny Hirst, and international textile artist Louise Gardiner.
Guest speaker events proved popular this year, from world-renowned installation artist Susie MacMurray and humanitarian and former hospice patron Terry Waite CBE.
Also speaking at the fair was psychotherapist and art therapist from the hospice, Fay Mitchell, who has a particular reason to thank the organising committee this year as the money raised will go towards supporting her art psychotherapy sessions at the hospice.
At an informal event to thank the Art Fair committee, hospice income generation director, Karyn Johnson, praised this “group of highly motivated, caring and cultured individuals pooling their time and talents to help those taking on the last of life’s great challenges.”
She said: “Through the hard work of a few, many at the hospice will receive the peace and tranquillity that only art psychotherapy can bring to a patient.”