33. The Newlyn Fox

33. The Newlyn Fox

Oil, Acrylic & love on canvas - £1000

45cm x 60cm

EVERY PENNY OF THE ORIGINAL ART GOES DIRECTLY TO -

YOUR ART CONNECT CIC - Arts For Mental Health

Originally, I had planned to take the tour to Kynance Cove. But by this stage of the journey, I’d learned that sometimes you have to let go of the picture you have in your head and allow the tour to find its own way. The access and logistics at Kynance Cove would have created too many challenges.

Instead, a wonderful lady who owned a sauna on Newlyn Green invited me to hold the event there. It turned out to be exactly where we needed to be. I could drive the van straight into the field, set everything up from the front of it, and on a beautiful sunny day we gathered together for what became one of the most powerful moments of the entire tour.

A lady I’d met at the previous event in Falmouth joined us. She was an author who had written openly about her own journey and struggles with mental health, and had generously given me a collection of her books to hand out for free in the hope that her story might help somebody else.

Just before we began the meditation, she asked if she could say a few words to the group, as she had done so inspiringly in Falmouth.

At the end of her talk, she shared something none of us were expecting.

Just five minutes earlier, she had received the news that her mum had passed away.

Almost instinctively, the people around her moved towards her. Within seconds she was enveloped by the group in one enormous embrace. Of all the hugs and moments of connection I witnessed throughout this journey, I don’t think I’ve ever felt one quite as powerful as that.

She showed extraordinary strength. She stayed with us and, despite what she was carrying, continued through the day and joined in with the festivities as best she could.

Standing Against Loneliness was created to bring people together, but moments like this showed me what those words really meant.

A community isn’t just there to celebrate with you when life is good. Sometimes it’s simply a group of people willing to hold you when your world has suddenly changed.

And on that sunny field at Newlyn Green, that is exactly what happened.

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