Paws for thought
Gloucestershire artists have been painting portraits of dogs in lockdown to raise £6,000 for Sue Ryder hospice
Agroup of Gloucestershire artists put their creative skills to good use during lockdown by painting portraits of dogs for charity.
The pooch project was the idea of artist and dog-lover Katharine Dove, from Cheltenham, who wanted to do something to help during lockdown, but didn’t have NHS or care experience.
Katharine came up with the idea of painting dogs in lockdown (#dogsinlockdown) and raising funds for her local hospice, Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice – Gloucestershire’s only inpatient unit for specialist palliative care.
She recruited other local artists to help, and between them they have produced more than 200 paintings and raised more than £6,000.
“We wanted to do our bit and raise money for a local charity during lockdown,” says Katharine. “I was aware that hospices were going to really struggle because all the normal fundraising activities would not be happening this year.
“We know how important dogs are to keep us sane in difficult times, make us laugh and keep us active.
“I discovered I could paint a dog portrait in under an hour! I recruited other local artists and we all worked hard together, albeit in our homes.
“We are so pleased to have raised more than £6,000 for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice.”
Megan Platt, community fundraiser at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, says, “Thank you so much to Katharine and the team of artists for your incredible support. We are really impressed with the efforts you have gone to painting our four-legged friends during lockdown.
“The funds you have raised will help to make sure we can continue to offer our compassionate palliative care and be there when it matters for families in Gloucestershire. For example, it could pay for around 300 hours of our expert care, helping people live the best life they possibly can.”
sueryder.org