A GRANGE man has raised over £200,000 for various charitable causes using his own brand of art.

Bob Sutcliffe, who lives in Grange and was born in Blackburn, works at the Grange Plant Centre where he sells his own art cards.

In the coming year Bob aims to raise his target from £200,000 to a quarter of a million.

Bob has used the funds he has raised to support various causes such as Cure Leukaemia, Epilepsy Action, MIND, Lighthouse Mental Health Hub in Kendal, The Grange Promenade, Cancer Care NW, and the British Heart Foundation.

He said: "I've worked at the Centre with Tom and Abi for about four years now where I began as a volunteer and worked my way to where I am now.

"I was recovering from a heart attack which happened when I was 46, four years ago, and as part of my recovery I began teaching myself to paint.

"That's how I started making my cards and eventually selling them.

"All my cards and fundraising have gone really well and we sell about 1000 cards a week.

"It's raised more £200,000 so far and most recently it's given £23,000 from Cure Leukaemia.

"I do support a lot of local causes and every penny helps.

"As part of my recovery I began working with Abi and Tom who run the centre as a volunteer, and they were in my village.

"I volunteered just to get out of the house and it kind of turned out this way. They've been really good to fundraise with and for giving something back to the community.

"I'm hoping that by the end of this year I can hit a quarter of a million pounds overall.

"I'm going to continue working with Epilepsy Action who I make Christmas cards for.

"I'd like to carry on with that this year by making a range of cards and selling them at Booths. Booths have given me a lot of ideas and help me a lot with supporting these causes.

"There is a lot of money with these cards. Other charities might donate maybe 10p per card, but with mine it's £1.20 out of each card.

"I'm really grateful for all the support I've got over the years, so much feedback and so many nice comments.

"I get overwhelmed sometimes and I just want to thank everyone for helping me.

"There are no administrative costs so I make sure every penny goes to where it needs to be."

Here are some of the causes Bob has donated to over the years.

  • £23k to Cure Leukaemia
  • £30K to Epilepsy Action
  • £10k to MIND
  • £5.6k to Lighthouse Mental Health Hub in Kendal
  • £5k to buy defibrillators in villages and community centres
  • £5k to buy equipment for a local special needs school.
  • £2k for The Grange Promenade
  • £2k to buy laptops to support Zoom counselling during lockdown and beyond
  • £2K for Cancer Care NW to support a special Project for young people in grief
  • £5K for British Heart Foundation

The Grange Plant Centre wrote on social media: "A huge thank you to everyone who has bought, and continues to buy, Bob’s charity cards at the Plant Centre.

"He will be able to purchase £2000 worth of plants for the Grange over Sands Promenade Gardens which are loved by so many locals and visitors alike.

"As a child, like many, he remembers being walked along the Prom with his Grandparents who pointed out the various plants. It’s fantastic that the tireless work of local volunteers has kept them going all these years.

"On top of that he has donated £500 towards the emergency relief boxes being established to help communities if we have more power cuts."