I'm raising money for the Vale Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre in Gloucestershire, to support the tireless work they do to help sick, injured and orphaned animals.

I was particularly touched by the story of George the swan, a well known face at Pittville Park in Cheltenham - who suffered a horrendous injury when he was shot through the head with a crossbow bolt in January of this year. Seriously injured - George was looked after at Vale Wildlife Hospital who were able to successfully treat him and release him back to his home. George was reunited with his life partner and happily has gone on to be a father again :-)

Vale Wildlife treat thousands of animals every year and staff the hospital 24/7 - while also offering an advice telephone line for anyone needing help for wildlife in distress.  They work tirelessly and entirely for the benefit of the animals.

My friend Kate brought the work the charity do to my
attention through her own fundraising activity - holding a
super-successful bake sale in June.

To add to this - I'm offering donors the opportunity to win a colour pencil portrait drawn by me of George the swan - every £1 you donate = an entry into the prize draw! For example £10 would be ten chances to win.

So much of my artwork involves animals and I get a great deal of pleasure from studying them closely and doing my best to capture a likeness and something of their character. I'm delighted to be able to use my passion to support this animal charity.

The picture is an original colour pencil drawing on suede board. Based on a photo (with kind permission to use) from Carol Lewis from Pittville Swans & Friends. The  picture measures 16" wide x 11" high and will come professionally mounted - ready for you to frame to suit your own taste (recommended frame size 20" x 16"). You can see how George will look once framed if you have a look at the pictures on this page - this is an example only.

The date for the draw will be Saturday 2nd September. The winner will be notified via my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/colourpencilportraits

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.