Mervyn Peake Awards Celebrate Creativity Of People With Parkinson's, UK

Main Category: Parkinson's Disease
Article Date: 18 Jul 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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Hosted by the Parkinson's Disease Society on 7 July, this year's Mervyn Peake Awards honoured the outstanding talent of people with Parkinson's in art, poetry and photography, with a presentation ceremony in London.

Pamela Evans, from Twickenham in Middlesex, received the art category award with her painting Nasturtiums. Pamela, 81, has not let the fact that she is living with Parkinson's disease inhibit her creative streak, and has entered her wonderful paintings in previous years, achieving runner up status at the 2004 awards.

With her image Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Elaine Stevenson, from Loughborough in Leicestershire, scooped the award for photography. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2005, Elaine, 64, took early retirement from her dressmaking business, but has continued to create wedding dresses and theatrical costumes, as the gown in her photograph depicts.

Finally, Donald Aldridge, 70, from Droitwich in Worcestershire, triumphed in the poetry category with his poignant verse about Hadrian's Wall, Wall Thoughts.

This year's competition received a record 117 entries, and such was the quality of photography, poetry and art submitted, that in addition to the three category winners, a further 13 entries were singled out for commendation.

The awards are held in memory of the late illustrator, writer and poet Mervyn Peake (1911-1968), whose works included Gormenghast and the Alice in Wonderland illustrations, and who developed Parkinson's in later life. The awards are supported by the Peake family and were established in 2002.

A selection of this year's entries are being used to create the Parkinson's Disease Society Calendar 2007, which will be available to purchase through the Christmas Catalogue 2006. To receive a copy of the catalogue, email mervynpeake@parkinsons.org.uk with subject line CALENDAR, and include your postal address.

To see the winning enteries, visit our Mervyn Peake Awards 2006 page.

To register your interest in entering next year's Awards, email your name and contact details to mervynpeake@parkinsons.org.uk with subject line AWARDS 2007.

http://www.parkinsons.org.uk

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