Sunderland artist raises hundreds for local charities with striking artwork of Captain Tom

A Sunderland artist has raised almost £1,000 for good causes in the city after auctioning off a striking artwork of Captain Tom Moore.
Inspired by Captain Tom’s incredible efforts raising millions for the NHS, which saw him promoted to Colonel while becoming a symbol of Britain’s fighting spirit, artist Andy Parkin created a painting of the 100-year-old which was shared tens of thousands of times on social media.Inspired by Captain Tom’s incredible efforts raising millions for the NHS, which saw him promoted to Colonel while becoming a symbol of Britain’s fighting spirit, artist Andy Parkin created a painting of the 100-year-old which was shared tens of thousands of times on social media.
Inspired by Captain Tom’s incredible efforts raising millions for the NHS, which saw him promoted to Colonel while becoming a symbol of Britain’s fighting spirit, artist Andy Parkin created a painting of the 100-year-old which was shared tens of thousands of times on social media.

Inspired by Captain Tom’s incredible efforts raising millions for the NHS, which saw him promoted to Colonel while becoming a symbol of Britain’s fighting spirit, artist Andy Parkin created a painting of the 100-year-old which was shared tens of thousands of times on social media.

Andy, from Seaburn, auctioned the A4 piece on eBay and it was bought by a man in Leicester for £860.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The granddad, who turned to art as a form of therapy after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is dividing the proceeds between three Sunderland good causes.

Andy Parkin donating a cheque to St Benedict's HospiceAndy Parkin donating a cheque to St Benedict's Hospice
Andy Parkin donating a cheque to St Benedict's Hospice

He has already donated £400 to St Benedict’s Hospice, which has lost tens of thousands of pounds in planned fundraising events which have been cancelled due to Covid-19. It’s a cause close to Andy’s heart after the hospice, which is only part-funded by the NHS, cared for his dad Tom Parkin when it was based in Newcastle Road.

The artist plans to divide the remaining amount between Hopewood Park, who helped Andy when he was diagnosed with bipolar six years ago, and the Sunderland branch of the Alzheimer’s Society who helped Andy’s mother Kate Parkin who suffered from the illness.

Andy, who recently gained a first in Fine Art from Sunderland University, said: “A lot of people have been so touched by Captain Tom and I wanted to create a piece of art about him from the heart. I’m delighted with how much it’s raised and that the money can go towards such good causes in Sunderland.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After the Captain Tom piece was liked more than 40,000 times on Facebook, Andy set to work on a portrait of war veteran Marjorie Lamb using acrylics on plywood and a palette knife and fine brushes.

Andy Parkin's A4 artwork of Colonel Tom MooreAndy Parkin's A4 artwork of Colonel Tom Moore
Andy Parkin's A4 artwork of Colonel Tom Moore

The 99-year-old former Naval officer from Scotland is also doing sponsored laps of her garden to raise money for the NHS. She’s vowed to get 'one up on the men' before her birthday on May 31.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Andy Parkin's artwork of Naval officer Marjorie LambAndy Parkin's artwork of Naval officer Marjorie Lamb
Andy Parkin's artwork of Naval officer Marjorie Lamb

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.

How to subscribe to the print edition:

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.