Local artist captures cherished memories

A renowned Shropshire artist has captured older people’s cherished memories after getting to know many of the regulars at a popular day centre supported by Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin.

The centre, which turned out to be ‘a goldmine of great stories’, is at Alveley near Bridgnorth, and is run by a dedicated team of volunteers.

Members of the group shared their fondest recollections ranging from playing tennis at Wimbledon to dancing at the legendary Adelphi Ballroom in West Bromwich to pot-holing, long before the days of health and safety.

Award-winning freelance artist and illustrator Katy Alston, who has produced books, cards, prints and illustrated maps, had chatted with members at the day centre, giving them the opportunity to reminisce about their younger days.

‘I’d already been in a volunteer befriending role with Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin for a year and a bit before embarking on this arts project,’ explains Katy. ‘As an artist I spend quite a lot of time based at home and so being a befriender is great for me. It’s quite good to get out and see the outside world.’

Katy was successful in securing funding from the Arts Council for the memories project which involves a painting technique called egg tempera, using paints made out of pigment and egg yolk.

‘So this method is completely new for me,’ says Katy. ‘I’ve produced images using egg tempera on linen, and I’m using a limited palette of earth colours. It’s been a steep learning curve for me. Yes, I did my degree in painting years ago, but this technique is quite different in many ways.’

‘It’s been a joy talking to members at the day centre. It was a goldmine of great stories. I heard about playing tennis at Wimbledon, dancing at the Adelphi, and one woman told me about pot-holing before the days of health and safety. Sounded awfully dangerous. That would have terrified me, quite frankly.’

Katy presented her finished artwork to the day centre on 18 September, and has also presented a workshop to members to give them an insight into the techniques used to produce the work.

‘This has been a really thrilling and inspiring project,’ says Karen Rawlings, the Masonic Charitable Foundation-supported Service Development Officer at Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin. ‘We can’t thank Katy enough for this fantastic piece of artwork. Everyone enjoyed contributing by recalling their wonderful memories and it was such a positive thing to do.’

To find out more about Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin's day centres, call us on 01743 233 123 or email enquiries@ageukstw.org.uk