Retired Teacher from Berkhamsted’s Competition-winning Charity Christmas Card Sells Like Hot Cakes
Catherine Archer’s popular card depicting a robin is raising money for the hospital where she had surgery to remove a spinal tumour.
Retired teacher Catherine Archer, 71, from Berkhamsted, was delighted to win The National Brain Appeal’s 2024 Christmas card competition. Her card, that features a robin set against a vibrant backdrop of flowers, is the charity’s best-seller with more than 500 packs of 10 having been snapped up to date.
Catherine was particularly keen to support the charity because it is dedicated to raising funds for the hospital where she had surgery to remove a spinal tumour in 2000, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London’s Queen Square, the UK’s leading centre for treating brain and spine conditions.
The surgery was transformative. Catherine said: ‘I had endured 12 years of dreadful pain before the tumour was discovered. It started after my son Luke was born. When I was eventually sent for an MRI scan, they found a large tumour.
‘I was a patient of Mr Michael Powell’s and I’m eternally grateful to him and the hospital because as well as the pain, I knew I was losing mobility,’ she continued. ‘I was warned that, if it went wrong, I would probably not be walking afterwards but he did an amazing job. I don’t have many heroes, but he’s my top one.’
Catherine, who has lived in Berkhamsted for 18 years, having previously worked as a primary school teacher in Nottingham and also north London, likes to paint every day and was forever doodling as a child.
‘I’ve always loved art and painting, and now I’m retired. I’ve got a bit more time to do it,’ she said. ‘It keeps me out of mischief!’
She and her partner Ian are very involved in the Berkhamsted Art Society, who recently held their Winter Art Fair at the Civic Centre. Two local schools, Bridgewater Primary and Swing Gate Infant School, are invited to the Spring and Winter Art Fairs each year to meet the artists and create their own artworks that are added to a collage in the hall.
Catherine also sells hand-painted cards at Little Heath Tearoom in Potten End.
She chose to design a robin for The National Brain Appeal’s competition because it was her late father’s favourite bird. She said: ‘He was quite a character and whenever a robin comes into the garden, I always think about him. So, the card is a tribute to my father, and also to my love of nature.’
Designing a Christmas card for the charity isn’t the first time she has used her art to support them. She has been taking part in their annual exhibition of art on envelopes, A Letter in Mind, since 2015.
‘I just thought it was a nice way of paying back the hospital and saying thank you and using my art to do so,’ she said.
The first year she took part, Catherine kept her art submission a secret and surprised Ian by taking him to see a private view of the exhibition after dinner one night.
‘We went for a meal in the Oxo Tower and the private view of the exhibition was taking place in a gallery at the base of it,’ she said. ‘I said, ‘oh look, something’s happening in there, let’s go and have a look’. He had a bit of a shock when he saw my work up there. He had no idea I’d done it and thought we were gate crashing!’
Catherine was delighted to hear that her robin card has been such a hit with supporters of The National Brain Appeal. She said: ‘It’s a charity that is very dear to my heart and so any money that can be raised is wonderful.’
You can buy Catherine’s best-selling robin card here: shop.nationalbrainappeal.org/products/winter-robin.
Main image: Catherine Archer with her paintings for the Berkhamsted Art Society winter exhibition. Photo credit Marie Mangan