Book celebrates creativity of 10 women during lockdown

A book celebrating the art, poetry and crafts created during lockdown by a group of women from across south Worcester has been officially launched six months after it was first published.

Ten women artists have contributed to 10x10 Lockdown, using paint, pencil, camera and words to express their fears and hopes as the nation locked down in March last year.

The women live in Worcester’s Battenhall, Red Hill, Cherry Orchard, Bath Road, Fort Royal and Lark Hill, with the tenth from Shropshire.

The book was published last November but plans to celebrate its publication were put on hold when the country went back into lockdown last winter.

The artists involved in its creation celebrated the book during a special event in mid-June.

Retired Worc-ester teacher, Penny Perrett, compiled and edited the book, which tells a powerful tale of experiences during the country’s first lockdown.

“I have some brilliantly creative women friends,” said Penny.

“Some of them started posting their work on Facebook during lockdown and it struck me that there should be a way to have something real to capture all the creativity rather than it staying online.”

Working with visual artist Sue Haslam, she asked 10 women artists to share 10 ideas they had worked on over 10 days between March and June last year. 

The book includes photos taken by GP Maggie Kemble as she started running in the early morning before beginning a day’s work, Lucy Dennison’s collages and paintings of the cats who kept her company during lockdown and Renshis - a form of haiku - written by Anne Greer and Sara Hayward reflecting their thoughts during lockdown.

Since publication the book has sold more than 350 copies, raising £750 for Women’s Aid.

After sending a copy to artist Grayson Perry, whose Channel 4 programme, Grayson’s Art Club, celebrated the importance of art and creativity during lockdown, Penny and Sue received a personal thank you note from Grayson.

“It’s great to see people getting arty in this odd time,” he told them.

Penny said: “The future still feels uncertain and we’ve been through so much as a country since that first lockdown last March, so it felt important for us to come together – for the first time in real life – to celebrate what we’ve achieved.”

10x10 Lockdown can be ordered online from a special Facebook page – Lockdown 10x10 - and costs £10.99, with all proceeds going to Women’s Aid.

Other artists whose work is featured are Amanda Bonnick, Jane Beesley, Leisa Taylor, Sarah Ling and Stella Downing.