The Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation; Leicestershire’s unique registered charity is celebrating after world renowned watercolour artist and Emeritus Professor of Fine Art at De Montfort University Peter Welton and TV and Radio celebrity gardener Ady Dayman of Derry’s Nurseries and Charnwood Chillies agreed to become Patrons of the charity.

The Foundation which is based in Ulverscroft on the edge of the Charnwood Forest was established in 1989 by the late David Clarke and has since provided support, care and friendship to the elderly, adults with disabilities and young people. During the past 20 years over 100,000 residents of the county have benefitted from the wide variety of innovative projects and support services offered by the charity.

Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation Chief Executive Alan Norman said “We very grateful that Peter and Ady have agreed to become Patrons. The Foundation is one of Leicestershire’s hidden gems. Its dedicated staff team with the support of over 100 superb volunteers work for the benefit of all sections of society and to have Peter and Ady join us is fantastic. They are both wonderfully outgoing personalities who are committed to helping support and promote this unique organisation”

Having accepted their new roles with the Foundation Peter Welton stated “I was delighted to be approached to be a Patron of this fantastic charity. I freely confess I have never done anything like this before and I anticipate the challenge it presents to me with relish”

Whilst Ady Dayman said “how honoured, delighted and excited I am to become a patron for such a brilliant charity like The Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation”

The Foundation entertains elderly visitors, adults with disabilities, carers and those who are housebound and socially isolated at its two country properties near Markfield. In addition it operates outside visiting and mobility aid loan schemes and an outdoor classroom and forest school facility for mainstream schools, special schools, youth groups and disadvantaged young people.

For more information please visit: www.shuttlewood-clarke.org www.yewtrail.org.uk www.peterwelton.com www.charnwoodchillis.co.uk

On

Ulverscroft Manor, Priory Lane, Ulverscroft, LE67 9PH

Professor Peter Welton, the Leicestershire-based watercolour painter will be holding an exhibition of his work at Ulverscroft Manor for one day only and will be giving a talk about his life and work as an artist. He will relate how he went from railway porter at Barnetby junction in Lincolnshire to Professor of Fine Art at De Montfort University, resigned that post to be a full-time artist and was then commissioned by H.M. the Queen to paint a picture for Her Private Collection. He claims all this was due to happy perchance…or serendipity. A print of the Queen’s painting will be on display in the exhibition.

The evening starts at 7.00 p.m. with cheese and wine being served whilst you look at the exhibition. Peter will give his talk at 8.00 p.m.

Admission - £20 per person – Pre-booked Ticket Only

All profits from this event will go towards the work of the

Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation, registered charity number 803525

For more information please call 01530 244914 or email admin@shuttlewood-clarke.org

If you have never painted in a YURT before now is the time to try it! I was recently invited to visit and look round Ulverscroft Manor near Markfield in Leicestershire where the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation is located.

This is a charitable organisation devoted to providing support, care and friendship to the people of Leicestershire. I was taken round the place in a golf buggy and visited their various buildings including the now-famous yurt. OK OK I’ll tell you! A yurt is a tent/marquee-like structure built of pre-fabricated steam-bent wooden poles and covered with a waterproof fabric. The whole thing is topped with large acrylic circular window and the spacious interior is very well lit. A wood-burning stove completes the facilities. It is based on a Central Asia Nomadic Tent and I just fell in love with it and the organisers agreed I could run a one-day workshop in it.

We can take only 20 people/artists/would-be artists so please book early if you would like to join me. So the day of this amazing experience is going to be Friday August 6th from 10am till 4pm. The cost will be £60.00 a head. All profits from the day will go towards the work of the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation, registered charity number 803525.

Your £60.00 will entitle you to coffee on arrival, excellent 2 course lunch with a glass of wine and tea or coffee with cake on departure. All materials will be provided for those of you without any. And of course, the teaching!

On these workshops I treat everybody as if they are beginners and devote the large part of the morning session to techniques. You will learn how to use the five basic methods of applying watercolour paint and after lunch we will move out into the grounds for you to start a landscape painting. You do not need any experience in watercolour painting to enrol and I love working with absolute beginners. We all learn a lot from each other. What magnificent grounds they are by the way…all 55 acres of them!

Have a look at the websites: www.shuttlewood-clarke.org and www.yewtrial.org.uk

Then let me or Linda Prime, Operations Director at the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation (linda@shuttlewood-clarke.org), know if you are interested in joining us. We will give you more information about getting there and so on. I promise you an exciting and memorable day.

I look forward to hearing from you

Best wishes

Peter Welton
www.peterwelton.com

The core services of the Foundation continue to bring much needed relief to many people in need and through the generous support of companies and individuals we have developed new schemes such as the Yew Trail outdoor classroom and craft clubs that provide great benefit to an even broader cross section of our community.

Over the next twelve months the Foundation is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and we will be;

Highlighting the past 20 years of achievement.

And paying tribute to David Clarke
All this will culminate on the 9th/ 10th & 11thSeptember 2010 when in conjunction with Bradgate Flower Club we will be holding ‘September Crafts and Flowers’ at UlverscroftManor along with two fashion shows by Dressini of Market Bosworth.

This showcase community event aims to bring together in excess of 2,000 people in the beautiful surroundings of the Manor, raising both the profile of our organisation and corporate sponsors as well as generating much needed funds for the Foundation.

Can you help? The Foundation is looking for the support in the following ways:

We welcome support for any of the Foundation’s ongoing charitable work
We thank you for considering this request; your support for the Foundation would be invaluable and all sponsorship / donations will be gratefully acknowledged in our publicity material during the year.

To find out more please call 01530 244914.

For further information on the work of the Foundation visit are websites:

www.shuttlewood-clarke.org and www.yewtrail.org.uk

We look forward to hearing from you.

This first walk to the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation estate was attended by 19 people on a fine sunny morning. The Foundation was created in 1989 to provide a day centre where the elderly and adults with disabilities can meet for social and other activities. The two properties are about a kilometre apart and there are extensive woodlands, meadows and a pond. The walk from the Manor to the Grange provides magnificent views across the valley and as far as Old John.

Our thanks to the staff at the Manor and Grange made us most welcome and provided tea and coffee during the visit.
People wishing to visit the estates are asked to make arrangements by telephoning 01530 244914.

Birds recorded were:

Buzzard, kestrel, pheasant, moorhen, stock dove, wood pigeon, great spotted woodpecker, swallow, wren, blackcap, chiffchaff, goldcrest, robin, Dunnock, blackbird, long tailed tit, coal tit, blue tit, great tit, nuthatch, jay, magpie, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch.

We were also able to enjoy spring flowers which in addition to the bluebells included cuckoo flowers and greater stitchwort.

We were surprised not to hear any willow warblers, though the good news is that when I returned to photograph the bluebell wood it was one of the first birds I heard.

The next walk is at Cossington Meadow on Tuesday 15th June at 10.00.