Esme, 98, enjoys art bash
At the ripe old age of 98, Wolverhampton art student Esme England is showing no signs of putting down her paintbrush.
The mature student and former Grand Theatre dresser, enjoyed a birthday party thrown by her art group yesterday.
Esme, hailed as a real character by friends, enjoyed the bash at Warstones Resource Centre.
She has been a dedicated member of the group for the past seven years and was happy to be the centre of attention. Her teacher Bill Baugh organised the celebration and said: "Esme is very sprightly.
"She keeps us all on our toes, she's a wonderful student who really enjoys using bright colours, painting birds and flowers and just joining in with everybody.
"She has been coming here so long now she is a real character in the group. I hope she has a wonderful birthday and we are so happy to be able to celebrate it with her again this year."
The group have been marking Esme's birthdays for seven years and yesterday marked the occasion with wine, mince pies and cake.
Esme, of Penn, also found herself surrounded by gifts, cards and flowers.
The group, funded by the city's Health Action Zone, meets once a week on Mondays and Esme is the envy of all the class because a few of her paintings have been snapped up by friends and neighbours.
She has always had an eye for bright colours but only turned to watercolours in her 90s. Previously she had been a dedicated member of a keep fit class but she decided to opt for a more restful pastime in recent years.
Thanking her classmates for organising her party, Esme beamed: "I really enjoy the class every week and think it is important for people to get out and about at my age."
By Ciara Hill
