Poems book raises £700
A 100-year-old art enthusiast from Wolverhampton has had her work published in a book which has just raised more than £700 for charity.
Esme England was the oldest contributor to Our Favourite Poems, an illustrated book put together by members of the Warstones Resource Centre art group in Penn. The popular club was formed a decade ago by keen artist Bill Baugh, of Birch Glade, Warstones, who said the charity book idea had been a runaway success.
The publication, featuring artwork from his students alongside their favourite odes, was sold at £5 a copy or two for £7.50. It features 32 poems, two of which were written by members of the group themselves.
"We thought we might sell 40 or so of the copies we made ourselves here at the centre but the whole thing snowballed and we had to put publication out to tender," said Mr Baugh.
The retired engineering lecturer at the former Wolverhampton Polytechnic shares the teaching with fellow tutor Helen Hawley.
The art fans, who meet on Mondays and Tuesdays at the centre in Warstones Drive, Penn, were delighted with their achievement.
They were at the centre when Mr Baugh handed over the money raised to Jean Hipwood, of the Wolverhampton Branch of the Alzheimer's Society.
The charity is the leading UK care and research charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.
The council-run Warstones centre, which was Wolverhampton's first resource centre for older people, operates all year round from 7.30am until 10pm, with access to the services by assessment.
It cost £200,000 to convert the former old people's home into a centre to provide day and rehabilitation services and short-stay residential care in 1998. It now has a total of 26 places, catering for the elderly and people with dementia. It aims to promote the independence and well-being of older people.
