Collection of artwork donated to Derriford Hospital
A collection of twelve pieces of artwork have been donated to Derriford Hospital.
Local artist, Richard ‘Dick’ Woollcombe was a patient at Derriford several years ago. During his stay he walked the many corridors of the hospital and thought they could do with some brightening up. Shortly after his recovery he donated a collection of twelve pieces of his own art – called The West Country Year.
Sadly, Dick passed away in 2016 and when his son, Alan, was tidying out his studio, he found a further collection of twelve pieces of art. Alan has kindly donated the collection to the hospital and they are now on display on Level 11.
Alan, his wife Mimi and Jane Miller, a family friend and volunteer at Tavistock Museum, visited the hospital last week to see the artwork on display.
“My father would have been so happy that his set of Calstock Viaduct paintings had found a home at Derriford,” said Alan. “He always appreciated that the hospital has enabled his West Country Year paintings to reach a wider audience, and he would have been delighted at the way these have been displayed too. His family would like to express our thanks to the hospital.”
Project Manager at the Trust, Di Brimacombe, said: “I had the great fortune of meeting Dick three years ago; he was a very endearing, charismatic character. It was a real privilege spending time with him and discussing his vast collection of artwork.
“Derriford Hospital is extremely lucky to be able to exhibit these art collections painted by Dick Woollcombe.
“It was also very rewarding to see how happy the family were at the unveiling, with how we had exhibited the collections. There couldn’t be a better tribute dedicated to the legacy of such a talented local artist.”
Hospital Chairman, Richard Crompton added: “We would like to say thank you to Alan for being so generous and allowing us to display these lovely paintings on our wall. I’m sure Dick would have whole heartedly approved. These images will be here for many years to come.”
