One of Britain’s greatest painters has praised staff at Queenscourt Hospice in Southport for “giving people hope – and showing you that there is always something to hold on to”.
Malcolm Fryer is an in-patient at the hospice, on Town Lane in Kew, having enjoyed the support of the charity’s Queenscourt at Home Nurses – and has even been teaching one of them how to paint.
Malcolm, who has a life-limiting illness, got to know the nurses really well when he was first being supported by the hospice whilst living at home with his daughter, Katie.
During this time, Malcolm took the opportunity to teach one of the nurses how to paint, a skill she was keen to learn.
Many years ago his mother-in-law was also a patient at Queenscourt when it first opened.
Malcolm said: “The positive experience I witnessed at the hospice, seeing the care and compassion she received right up until the end, made me more comfortable coming back as a patient myself.”
The acclaimed artist has sold works all over the UK and in the US. He has continually exhibited in galleries and universities nationwide. He is also represented in private collections at Granada, Sky Television and Arthur Guinness Ltd.
His acclaim as an artist earned him recognition in Frances Spalding’s book Twentieth Century Painters and Sculptors.
He was delighted to speak with two Queenscourt medical students, Tara Desert and Natasha Goss, about his life as a painter.
What he revealed during their conversation was that with the care and support of Queenscourt Hospice, he has been able to maintain his creativity.
The nurse who he has been teaching art to said: “I was thrilled to be able to paint – I never thought I was an artistic person, but Malcolm helped me through and it brought him so much joy.”
Malcolm hopes that his paintings will be his legacy, saying: “I want my art to speak to folk.”
The talented artist recently became an in-patient on the ward at Queenscourt and describes the hospice as “a wonderful place”.
He said: “People often feel hopeless before they arrive, but the hospice gives people hope and shows you that there is always something to hold on to.
“Getting to know the hospice staff has helped me through my time here – I’ve made some tremendous connections.
“Along the way there is always hope – we’re all artists – all we need to be taught is how to see.”
- To support the work of Queenscourt Hospice please visit: www.queenscourt.org.uk
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