Caddington artist supports children's charity

Talented artist Les Setchell has raised £160 for the Luton Children’s Society.

Les, who lives at Caddington Grove Care Home, was inspired to help the charity after hearing about their work.

He said: “Everyone deserves a future and the chance of making a life for themselves. The Children’s Society does incredible work locally and it’s important that we recognise that.

“I was delighted that my work raised a grand total of £160 to support the work of this charity. Of course, it’s also nice to see that all my work will go to a good home.”

The London Road home held the Christmas auction earlier this month and invited staff, residents and their families to bid for their favourite piece.

Les, who worked as a line supervisor at Vauxhall for 48 years, has taken up painting since joining Caddington Grove in February 2021. His work is inspired by conversations and ideas that people often bring to him at the home.

The 75-year-old, who previously volunteered as a scout leader has always lived in Luton and Caddington.

The auction event was held as part of Caddington’s community outreach programme and all the pictures, which were beautifully framed by the home, were painted since April this year.

The Children’s Society is a national charity and as well as tackling issues of child neglect and exploitation it works on policy-changing campaigns.

Auctioneer on the day was Caddington’s wellbeing and lifestyle coach Touria Oulhat who also organised the event.

She said: “We were so impressed by Les and all his work and delighted he chose to donate it to such a good charity. It is very important to us at Caddington that we can reach out to our local community.

“It was daunting to be auctioneer on the day and to make sure all the correct bids were recorded.”

She added: “Everyone was very enthusiastic, and most people put in a bid. We all enjoyed it and loved seeing Les’s display of art.

“The festive season is always a busy time and there are lots of lovely events planned. However, we should not forget those people who find this a challenging time of year.

“Thank you to everyone for supporting our auction!”