Local artist unveils Yorkshire Dales art work

A local artist will unveil his painting of Gearstones Lodge in the Yorkshire Dales at a special presentation event at Mirfield Day Centre on Friday 5th May.

Terry O’Shea, who is supported by Mirfield Day Centre, will present his art work to members of the Mirfield Community Trust – a charitable organization which runs the lodge.

The lodge – which is a mile from Ribblehead viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales – has 40 beds and can be booked out by local people who have a love of the outdoors.

Mirfield Day Centre, jointly run by South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust and Kirklees Adult Services helps people with mental health problems develop skills, strengths and confidence on their road to recovery .Groups from the centre regularly visit Gearstones lodge to do maintenance and development work in partnership with Mirfield Community Trust. It was on one of these working parties that Terry decided to paint his picture.

Resource development officer Anne Sharp says, "We have an excellent partnership with Mirfield Community Trust. We’ve done lots of work at Gearstones over the years. On our recent trip we worked in the garden, but previously we have stripped bedrooms, plastered, decorated, done joinery and even dug out an entire cellar!

"The trips to the lodge give people from Mirfield Day Centre the opportunity to learn and develop new skills and prepare for employment. It’s also lots of fun and a chance for people to get away for a week and see a lovely part of the country – often people come back bowled over by the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales.

"Terry has his own unique style of painting and his work has been exhibited at places like Oakwell Hall. The Mirfield Community Trust plan to display the painting in the lodge so that visitors there can enjoy it too."

Mirfield Community Trust have offered the use of the lodge to Mirfield Day Centre for a weeks’ holiday at no charge as a thank you for their hard work.