Simon Tolhurst - the man who draws cancer patients

It was a pleasure last night to see an item on BBC's The One Show about an artist, called Simon Tolhurst, who goes into hospitals treating cancer patients to draw the patients.

Uplifting and inspiring! @vicderbyshire sheds some light on the unsung heroes providing a much-needed distraction from cancer treatment ❤️ #TheOneShow 👉 https://t.co/Y4PS4GQPcL pic.twitter.com/Ou7GtTj1z7

— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) June 13, 2023

Below are a couple of screenshots from the programme of his drawing done while the patient was receiving treatment and then the patient looking at her portrait - and for me - her face says it all!

I gather this isn't the first time he's received a profile on the media - but it was certainly the first time I'd come across him. 

His official title is the HCC UCLH Portrait Artist in Residence at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - and he's been working in this way since 2013.

It's all part of the a a project run by Haematology Cancer Care (HCC) at the University College London Hospital (UCLH) Charity to make portraits of people at the UCLH Macmillan Cancer Centre. 

• He visits the centre on a weekly basis and makes pencil drawing portraits of patients and their relatives. 
• The project is free
• All sitters receive signed prints of their drawing. 
• More importantly, many of the sitters get a very real benefit in terms 
• I'm proposing to exhibit all the drawings together at a later date and prints of selected drawings are displayed in the hospital. 

The project has been featured by both television and print media

• Cancer centre's artist Simon Tolhurst calls portraits uplifting | BBC
• Portrait artist in residence at cancer centre describes ‘unique, uplifting’ work at UCLH | ITV

Thank you to the Press Association and journalist @LilyFord for their article about the Portrait Project for @HCC_UCLH at UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre, here is the article on the @BBCNews website.https://t.co/ZZHeTjBfVR#portrait #drawing @uclh

— Simon Tolhurst (@SimonTolhurst) April 3, 2023

You can see more of his drawings of patients and exhibition on his 

• blog/website
• Twitter account
• Instagram account

During the pandemic, when obviously he could not visit the hospital, he also drew NHS staff - via the Wellcome Institute and a video link. This was part of the Arts & Heritage team’s Creative Comfort initiative to support staff wellbeing. see UCLH Staff Drawings Update and Exhibition News!

I'm now left wondering how many artists have attached themselves to other Cancer Centres or places where patients receive long term treatment for potentially life threatening illnesses. 

It would be nice to think this project is not just a "one off". There's been projects to bring Paintings in Hospitals for a long time. 

Maybe this should be broadened out to include "Artists in Hospitals" as well?