91-year-old talented artist, Jackie Gledhill from Greenacres care home in Meltham has been using her creative flair to teach other residents and their families in the community the power of the paintbrush.
Jackie began painting from a young age, inspired by her father who was a keen artist. Her love of art continued into adulthood when Jackie travelled the world to learn different painting techniques, visiting South Korea, France, and Austria.
When Jackie moved to Greenacres in February 2023, she wanted to share her passion with her fellow residents and decided to teach an art class, with the support of the care team. Jackie said,
‘I like to encourage people to develop their own style of painting and teach them about how to mix different colours. It doesn’t matter if you’re any good or not, it’s about how painting makes you feel.’
As well as guiding her fellow residents through creating their own masterpieces, Jackie invited the residents’ loved ones to join in on the fun. 94-year-old resident and art class student, Mary Jones said,
‘The art class was lovely, especially as my daughter and great grandchildren came and joined in as well.
‘I love my crafts, so it was nice to try something different. All the paintings looked really good; Jackie was very patient with us!’
Verity Taylor, the Home Manager at Greenacres, added, ‘We’re always looking for new ways to encourage our residents to continue to enjoy their hobbies and try new ones, so when Jackie asked us if she could teach an art class, we were excited to help her get started.
‘All Jackie’s students have a wonderful time learning different painting techniques; we definitely have lots of budding artists at Greenacres!’
To find out more, please call Greenacres on call 01484 855 390, email greenacres@idealcarehomes.co.uk or visit idealcarehomes.co.uk.
Greenacres is a purpose-built luxury residential and dementia care home operated by Ideal Carehomes. With 64 ensuite bedrooms, Greenacres provides person-centred care and varied activities programme. Greenacres is proud to be rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission.