22 Sep 2023
Local artists Ilan Galkoff, Morgan Howell, Mandy Johnson and Debbie Knight have joined 150 other artists and celebrities in a charity campaign to fundraise for a branch of the Samaritans.
Ilan – better known for his acting roles including BBC2’s Good Omens – and his fellow artists have each donated a unique campervan artwork to the ‘Samarivans’ campaign.
He said: “I’m so honoured to be involved with the Samarivans project. Creativity of all forms is a fantastic outlet in which we can express our emotions and feelings, something which can be easy to disregard, but is so important.
“The support which the Samaritans provide is essential, and I’m so glad to be able to support them through my work.
“My piece, Spray Can Samarivan, was made with a combination of Spray Paint and Acrylics, using digitally designed and cut stencils. I tried to give it a retro vibe, and brought in lots of colour to really make it pop! I hope you like it, as well as all of the other fantastic artworks in the auction. If you fancy it, why not place a bid?”
Morgan (aka @SuperSizeArt), is best known for his giant 3D pictures of classic 7” singles, and has a cult following amongst art collectors and musicians.
He said: “Samaritans is such a wonderful organisation. The worst I’ve had to deal with are my “black dog’ days”. But I know many people, including loved ones very close to me, who have really struggled.
“Knowing there is always a calm voice to talk to at Samaritans when things seem hopeless is such a comfort. This campaign has given so many artists a collective focus and way to help. It’s amazing to see all these wonderful interpretations. I’ll certainly be bidding on a couple of my favourites.”
Mandy, who runs her art practice and her creative company Sketchnotes UK from her home in St Albans said: “I am a suicide survivor myself. Sadly, I have also lost people to suicide.
“The most painful loss was my beloved Auntie Ann. It’s been 10 years since she took her own life and I still wish something could have been done to stop her depression from taking over.
“So, my Samarivan is for her. I have written “hope” on the registration plate as the existence of the amazing Samaritan volunteers give me hope. As long as there are people who care and are willing to listen, there is hope that lives can still be saved.”
Other famous faces taking part include Leigh Francis (aka Keith Lemon), Kaiser Chiefs’ Ricky Wilson, Timmy Mallett and Su Pollard. All those taking part have been motivated to help the North Herts & Stevenage branch raise necessary funds and to help raise awareness of the services Samaritans provides nationwide. Each artist was sent a basic campervan stencil and asked to put their own spin on the design.
North Herts & Stevenage Samaritans branch director Ilsa Hawtin said: “We are so grateful to these amazing St Albans artists for making this a true Hertfordshire collaboration.
“Their Samarivans are spectacular and we hope the lovely people of St Albans will take this opportunity to bid for these unique pictures to support the cause and have the chance to own a home-grown, one-off piece of art.”
As with all Samaritans branches, the North Herts & Stevenage Samaritans is run by volunteers, and is entirely self-funded, depending on donations from organisations and individuals to continue its work handling calls and carrying out vital outreach work in the community with schools and colleges, hospitals and at railway stations.
The Samarivans will be auctioned online from today (Friday September 22). Anybody wishing to make a bid should visit: https://sarahgraham.info/samarivans for more information.
