Tony Bates, a patient at Holy Cross Hospital, Haslemere has received a three year scholarship from the Mouth & Foot Painting Artists’ organisation in recognition of the high standard of his work.

Six paintings, which he painted using his mouth, were assessed by a panel who were so impressed, they awarded the scholarship and admitted Tony as a student member.

The bursary, £800 a month for three years, pays for a private lesson each week from art teacher Cilla Holbeche. It also means he can buy a purpose built easel which will be delivered in a couple of months. Tony will control it by means of an electric motor and be able to mix paints. He says: “I didn’t realise I had an artistic talent until I came here. I was determined to do something with my life and it has brought out a quality I didn’t know I had. I collect lots of ideas which are put into a portfolio and I look at books for inspiration.”

Tony’s subjects vary, although he does enjoy landscapes. They include West Dean College, a seascape in Provence, France, as well as a picture of Tony and his dog beside a lake. His favourite is a picture of wind breaks on a beach. Currently he is working on a view of Petworth House and “Alaska The Glaciers”. Two of his paintings were included the 2009 Holy Cross Hospital calendar. He had never painted before he arrived at Holy Cross Hospital in 2007. The Mouth and Foot Artists sent Tony the equipment so he could paint by mouth. “Cilla helped me and we learnt together. You have to be very steady and paint in a straight line. I use acrylic paints,” he says.

Carol Fowlie, director of clinical services at the Holy Cross Hospital, says “We are delighted at Tony’s creative talent and congratulate him on his scholarship. We have an art group at the hospital and we find working with small groups of patients, sometimes one to one, encourages artistic development and builds self-esteem. Each patient has a particular style and ability and with assistance can create work which can be used to decorate their rooms or other areas of the hospital. Exhibitions of their work are held twice a year and are extremely rewarding for the patient.”

Tony owned a successful electronics company which he sold in 2004 to retire at the age of 59. After a few months at home, be became bored and started a part time job with the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) as a fundraising manager for the south east, helping to raise money for the charity. His career was cut short in October 2006, when he contracted a mysterious virus which caused an infection of his spinal cord which paralysed him from the neck down. Although he can’t move his arms or legs, he can control his environment such as turning on the television by operating a switch with his mouth. He can operate a lap-top with a switch and has started writing his autobiography. For more information about the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, visit www.mfpa.co.uk About Holy Cross Hospital The Hospital provides services to people with severe and complex neurological disabilities including acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury and long-term progressive neurological conditions.

The Holy Cross team aims to help people with severe disability to maximise their potential and minimise the impact of injury or illness on the individual person and their family.

The recently opened new Physiotherapy Centre features a state of the art hydrotherapy pool, which is available not only to hospital patients, but also to outpatients in the local area.

Holy Cross Hospital is owned by the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross, a registered charity for the promotion of healthcare and education. The Sisters founded the Hospital in Haslemere in 1917 as a sanatorium for treatment of Tuberculosis. It has seen many changes over the years and benefits from having a modern main hospital building that opened in 1992. Holy Cross Hospital. Tel. 01428 643311 www.holycross.org.uk