A Burnham-On-Sea widow has teamed up with a local artist to launch a unique image of Burnham’s lighthouse in her husband’s memory and to raise funds for two very special causes.
As reported a year ago here, Amy Bridgewater’s husband, Andrew Bridgewater sadly passed away at the age of 36 after suffering heart failure.
Now, Amy and a local artist have launched digital Lino prints of Burnham’s iconic beach lighthouse, pictured here. The landmark had a special meaning to the couple.
She says: “In memory of Andrew and with a wish to help those who have likely suffered even more as a result of the pandemic, in the absence of being able to meet and raise money in person, I wanted to recognise and say thank you to the people who had supported and helped Andrew through his illnesses.”
“The lighthouse in Burnham has always been a special place for myself, Andrew and our family.”
“We had pictures taken under the lighthouse on our wedding day and our children now refer to it as ‘Daddy’s lighthouse’.”
“I know that for many people both local and far away the lighthouse has a special place in their hearts. It is wonderfully calming and beautiful and I wanted to capture and share that in Andrew’s memory.”
She adds: “I approached an amazing local artist, Jenni Stuart, who has been kind enough to donate all of her time and profits to the cause. I am beyond thrilled with the result!”
“Every penny, deducting paper and shipping, from the sale of the prints will be donated to two causes – firstly, to the Heart Failure Team at Musgrove Hospital in Taunton to enable them to provide services and support to young patients suffering from heart failure and heart disease.”
“Only 0.6% of deaths caused by heart disease occur before the age of 35. Andrew suffered a major heart attack at the age of 29, leading to heart surgery, device therapy and a later diagnosis of heart failure before his death at 36 years old.”
“Attending a local support group for younger patients suffering from heart disease was something Andrew enjoyed and had it not been for his death would have led to many ongoing years of friendship and funding is key to being able to continue to provide these services locally.”
“Funds will also go, secondly, to fund research into the cause, treatment and hopefully, one day, cure for PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. PSC is a rare and progressive liver disease, and there is currently no known treatment or cure. On average, 10 in 100,000 people are diagnosed with it.”
“The disease will progress until the only option is liver transplantation. This was a cause that meant a lot to Andrew in the years before his death and he hoped that one day a cure or better treatment would be found.”
The limited edition original prints sold out in less than two hours, having been released on Friday 9th April. Digital prints are available in A5 or A4 and starting from £10.00 are however unlimited. They are on sale up until 9th May 2021 from here.
Prints will be posted and shipped following 9th May when all orders are received. Additional donations are also welcome through the website.
Click here to order digital prints of the image
