Stars paint birthday bouquet for Lancashire children’s hospice
MORE than 25 stars of the stage and screen have got out their paintbrushes to create unique works of art for a children’s hospice.
Stars including Geri “Ginger Spice” Horner, Joanna Lumley, Jeremy Vine and Timmy Mallett have drawn and painted flowers to make up a birthday bouquet to mark the 25th anniversary of Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley.
The flowers will be auctioned to raise money for the hospice, which cares for more than 350 families across the North West, offering respite and end-of-life care to children whose lives are too short.
The artwork will be unveiled at a glamorous exhibition at Hepplestone Fine Art Gallery in Heskin on Friday, March 1. Everyone is invited to come along, to view the paintings and place a bid.
The flowers will then go on display at Derian’s charity shop in Chorley town centre, and auctioned on eBay throughout the month of March.
Actor Helen Lederer, Grease star Didi Conn, adventurer Steve Backshall and Apprentice contestant Kayode Damali also put their creative talents to good use for the charity’s Flower Power campaign (see notes for full list of celebrities).
Seven-year-old Kayla, whose sister uses Derian’s services, has also created a flower as part of the project.
Fans will get the chance to own an exclusive piece of art created by their favourite star, along with a certificate of authenticity.
Kevin Bedford, Fundraising Manager at Derian House Children’s Hospice, said: “We’ve not only been overwhelmed by the creativity and generosity of the celebrities who have got involved in our Flower Power campaign, but also by the sheer number of people who have been keen to help us out. It’s been absolutely fantastic.
“Many of our flowers aren’t just pretty pictures drawn by celebrities, but fantastic pieces of art in their own right. With every penny raised going towards the care of our children and young people, I’d urge everyone to bid generously!”
The charity needs to raise £4million every year to keep the hospice running. Less than 10 per cent of this comes from statutory funding, so it relies heavily on the generosity of its supporters.
Everybody is invited to come along to the launch exhibition at Hepplestone Fine Art Gallery, Heskin Hall shopping village, Chorley, on Friday, 1 March from 5pm to 7.30pm.
Visit www.derianhouse.co.uk/flower-power
The flowers will be auctioned on eBay from Friday, 1 March at 8pm, until 31 March. See them at Derian House charity shop at Cleveland Street, Chorley to see the artwork throughout March.
- The media is invited to cover the opening exhibition at Hepplestone Fine Art Gallery, Heskin Hall shopping village, Chorley, on Friday, 1 March from 5pm to 7.30pm. We can accommodate live broadcasting at this event.
- For more information please contact Communications and Marketing Manager Caroline Taylor on caroline.taylor@derianhouse.co.uk or call 01257 233 300.
Full list of celebrities who have created flowers for Derian House Flower Power campaign:
Geri Horner
Joanna Lumley
Steve Backshall
Helen Lederer
Timmy Mallett
Ferne Corrigan
Kayode Damali
Jeremy Vine
Bolton Wanderers Football Club
Arabella Weir
Saara Alto and her Dancing On Ice partner Hamish Gaman
Didi Conn and her Dancing On Ice partner Lukasz Roszycki
Melody Thornton and her Dancing On Ice partner Alexander Demetriou
Mark Hanretty – Dancing on Ice professional
Curtis Johns from The Band Musical
Rob Beckett
Jack Catterall
Kiki DeVille
Helen Glover
Elizabeth Grant
Lucy Meacock
Judy Robbins
Molly Robbins
Ted Robbins