Alan Gregory: Teignwich Artists Exhibition / Fundraising

Alan Gregory, one of the friends of the Academy, will be donating 100% of all sales proceeds in a forthcoming exhibition to the specialist Turner Ward in Torbay Hospital which looks after leukaemia (and other haematology) patients.

Alan was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia, APL, in late January. As someone who had hitherto been very fit, the diagnosis was a complete surprise. As Alan put it "it is extremely fortunate that my condition was treated promptly and responds well to treatment". However, a long stay in an isolation ward of the hospital for his initial treatment made him aware of a few issues for patients. "The standard of care and professionalism shown by the entire team is absolutely exemplary. It truly is the NHS at its very best. But there are, as ever, limits to what the NHS can provide from its limited funding, and long stay patients need comfort and stimulation. This can be in the form of reading materials, TV and radio, gentle exercise devices and maybe even art materials. All of this relies on charitable funding, and as someone who has benefited from this I am keen to help others".

Alan himself cannot be present at the exhibition, which runs at TAAG, Northumberland Place, Teignmouth from Good Friday, 30th March to Friday 13th April, as he is undergoing further rounds of chemotherapy, but he is grateful to his fellow artists in the exhibition for arranging hanging and stewarding of his work. Meanwhile, he is continuing to paint when treatment allows and feels he is recovering well.

www.teignmoutharts.org/whats-on/2018/3/29/teignwich-artists