{"id":9669,"date":"2021-10-14T15:06:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T13:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/?p=9669"},"modified":"2021-10-14T15:06:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T13:06:59","slug":"former-mayors-heart-breaking-dementia-battle-inspires-charity-art-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/news\/former-mayors-heart-breaking-dementia-battle-inspires-charity-art-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Former mayor\u2019s heart-breaking dementia battle inspires charity art exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

An award-winning artist whose sister\u2019s dementia battle has left her heartbroken is hosting a fundraising exhibition in aid of a research charity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jenny Holbrook, was diagnosed with dementia 10 years ago at the age of 80 and has been living at Pendine Park\u2019s Hillbury Care Home in Wrexham since March following her rapid decline in lockdown. <\/span><\/p>\n

Her sister, talented fine art painter Angela Scott, has been left devastated by the deterioration of her through the disease and is now hosting a special studio exhibition at her home in aid of Alzheimer\u2019s Research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Until being struck down by dementia Jenny lived a full life and is a former England Reserves Lacrosse player, Cheshire County tennis player and four times Mayor of Knutsford,<\/span><\/p>\n

Sister Angela, 78, who lives in Sodylt Home Farm, Ellesmere, Shropshire, will be joined by leading ceramist Caroline Pearce for the fundraising event, which takes on November 13 and 14. <\/span><\/p>\n

Both artists will be selling their works with all funds raised being divided between the two causes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe exhibition is very personal to me. It has been a long and slow road as Jenny was diagnosed many years ago,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see your lovely and intelligent sister, who has done so much in her life and for the local community, start to decline it\u2019s so tragic.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been very quiet for artists during Covid as we\u2019ve not been able to exhibit so I thought to myself why not host an exhibition to help someone?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angela will also be making a donation to Hillbury to cover the cost of a concert that can be enjoyed by all the residents together. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Edwards, Pendine Park\u2019s Artist in Residence, said: \u201cWe are thrilled and delighted Angela wants to do this for us \u2013 it\u2019s a really lovely gesture. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are particularly pleased some of the proceeds will be used towards a concert for all the residents to enjoy .\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAngela\u2019s work is vibrant, bright and uplifting and I\u2019m sure will generate \u00a0much \u00a0interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany of our residents, including those \u00a0with dementia benefit enormously from \u00a0our art classes. They find them calming and relaxing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe classes are a wonderful way for our residents \u00a0to have the freedom to express themselves creatively and feel inspired to do so \u00a0 in a supportive, encouraging environment\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cArt not only \u00a0enriches our residents \u00a0lives and\u00a0gives them a creative outlet, it also has a positive \u00a0impact on quality of life and wellbeing, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur art classes are \u00a0about\u00a0having \u00a0fun too, splashing paint around \u00a0and enjoying some\u00a0social interaction with friends!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAngela\u2019s kind gesture \u00a0also \u00a0recognises \u00a0the compassion and care \u00a0the\u00a0brilliant team at Hillbury give to our residents. It\u2019s lovely \u00a0that a family member would want to do something \u00a0like this which will not only lift the spirits of our residents but also of our staff too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angela, who has two sons and four grandchildren aged between 17 and 11, grew up in Altrincham and studied Fine Art and Pottery at Manchester College of Art and Design, graduating in 1964. <\/span><\/p>\n

After graduating, Angela became a studio potter in Llangollen before teaching part-time at Wrexham College and then bringing up her family. It was after she was asked by neighbour to illustrate a poetry book she considered returning to painting. <\/span><\/p>\n

Her work reflects the beauty of nature and includes seascapes, landscapes and sunsets, mostly inspired from local beauty spots in Wales.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angela large watercolour paintings have been exhibited extensively throughout the UK including at the RWS Bankside Gallery in London and the Air Gallery Dover Street, London, as well as winning numerous prizes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI decided I wanted to concentrate on watercolours in the main. It fascinated me to see the washes and depth of colour you could get by applying different colours,\u201d said Angela, who is a member of Borderland Visual Arts Group based in Oswestry Shropshire.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The painter comes from a talented and artistic family. <\/span><\/p>\n

Her late sister Elizabeth Holbrook, who was married to the famous British sculptor, painter and poet, William Redgrave, travelled all over the world as a violist and her daughter, Rose, also played the viola and travelled extensively is teaches as a professor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ninety-year-old Jenny, meanwhile, who never married, wrote a book on the Art of Movement and Dance based on the Laban movement and taught all her life, firstly in Wythenshawe in Manchester then in Canada and finally at West Sussex College.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome years ago she made a huge embroidery of all the houses in Knutsford \u2013 It\u2019s absolutely massive and amazing,\u201d said Angela. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe enlisted the help of so many people and put the tapestry together. It\u2019s now in the Knutsford Heritage Centre. She has done so much with her life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was after the lockdown last winter I realised she could no longer live alone. I had already put care in place and meals were being delivered but she was going downhill and Covid didn\u2019t help as she didn\u2019t have any understanding of it. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf it had not been for her wonderful neighbour, she would\u2019ve probably moved to Hillbury sooner. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, she is happy in herself and that gives me great peace of mind. To begin with, I would leave my visits in floods of tears but I knew she was safe and being looked after well. She has settled really well and they are caring for her so wonderfully.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe really need to find a cure for this disease and do what we can to help.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

A private view will take place on Friday, November 12, before the exhibition opens to the public on Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14, between 10am and 5pm. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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