International Day of Older Persons 2021

The 1st October 2021 marks the International Day of Older Persons, which aims to raise awareness of the impact of an ageing population and the need to ensure that people can grow old with dignity and joy.

Artwork kindly donated by Artist, Patrick Gino Coombes, will be displayed within Mental Health Services for Older People at University Hospital Llandough to enhance the environment and provide opportunities for conversations about locations across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

The five signed prints capture the local locations; Penarth Pier, Barry Island, Roath Park, Cardiff Bay and Snowdon and are intended to spark conversation and memories.

“I live in Splott, having graduated from Swansea Metropolitan University in 2009 with a BA Hons in Painting and Drawing. I work using acrylic on mountboard, and these images are prints of original paintings. To date, I have painted around 30 images of my favourite hotspots in England and Wales. I have always loved Art Deco and illustrative work and I always wanted to produce work that celebrated the beauty, humour and charm of each individual town or city that I visited, in much the same way that the 1930s art deco prints of London, Monaco and Nice did. So I thought, ‘let’s do that for Wales, but with a contemporary twist!

I have always been involved in health and social care, working with dementia, addictions, homelessness, learning difficulties, and I have seen the importance of art and creativity, in bringing joy to people’s lives. This is why I wanted to donate my work. During the pandemic I have been selling my prints and postcards online. Some of the most rewarding feedback that I have had, has been around individuals who have purchased my postcards to help with isolation, dementia and depression. They have reminded others of times where they were happy and memories that were made at these specific locations, whether it was a proposal at Penarth Pier, a first date boating on Roath Park Lake, or a seagull pinching a chip in Tenby, each place has a memory, and I really hope they help to bring a smile and a chuckle to the patients and staff.”

-Patrick Gino Coombes, Artist