Our March meeting

Art as a therapeutic force

Our member Sally Shanley has brought us, for our March talk, her hospital colleague Mr Steven Snooks: surgeon, barrister, minister, artist – and West Ham fan.

After decades as a surgeon, including 10 years as West Ham's surgeon. Steven is recently retired from the NHS and now from the private sector.

Cancer surgery is a difficult environment in which to communicate. There's an art to saying the right things, and to listening.

A lifelong, self-taught, painter, Steven asked himself how he might use visual art for wellbeing after surgery, both observing and taking part. 

He started a mindful art group in church – Steven is a lay minister. Then he began giving patients small paintings, for the feelgood factor and to help them visualise their treatment as a process.

One landscape represented the thicket of a diagnosis; another, a way out; a river, a journey; a beam of moonlight showing the way forward. One patient had two paintings, one representing a city in the midst of Covid, the other after vaccination, which helped her cope with the fear of moving forward. Another patient's painting gave her a mountain to climb. 

Some paintings are done in response to situations, others selected for patients. Some patients see in them what Steven does; others, something entirely different.

But they all helped the person come to terms with what was happening in a way that was supportive. And visualisation proved a powerful tool for 'survivorship', helping people move on after they have been discharged.

Our ever-lively Q&A discussed art in the pandemic, information overload, the newly-refurbished Turner galleries at Tate Britain and delved into Steven's polymath life.

In his 50s, just to stretch his brain, Steven did a law degree part time and was offered three places at Bar school... but he found legal practice hostile work against the relative kindness of his medical practice, to which he returned full-time.

So what of retirement? Well, Steven is now studying for a fine art degree and finding oil painting very different, and considerably messier, than watercolour and gouache.

And West Ham? His new grandchild has already been to a match...

A big thank-you to Steven for an interesting and insightful talk, to Natasha for standing in with WI news and notices (get well soon, Heather) and to Celya for the eagle-eyed purchase of our magnificently-sturdy new screen.

March coffee morning

Our March coffee morning is a week later than usual, on Friday 31st. Venue: The Nunnery Café, 181 Bow Road, opposite Bow Church. Meeting times flexible: join us at 10.30 if you're an early bird or 11.00ish if you prefer

We make a return trip to an old favourite, The Nunnery Café , Bow Road, part of Bow Arts. There's an exhibition to view and why not browse the shop, featuring a hand-picked selection of beautiful prints, pottery, clothing, books and other unique products made by Bow Arts artists.

Buses: 8,25,276, 488,205,108, 425, D8

Bow Church DLR, Bow Road, District Line

Our March 2023 walk

Walking the landmarks of the Great Fire of London

In sharp, early Spring sunshine that showed the City at its best, we walked the route of the City of London's Great Fire of London trail. 

Under the Millennium Bridge at low tide and along the Thames, where traders with combustible goods had, in panic, thrown them into the river to save them from the flames, we spotted mudlarks out searching the beach for finds. 

By way of some architecture-spotting, a turn-off past St Magnus the Martyr, rebuilt by Wren after the fire, to the Monument, then to Leadenhall Market (a special mention here for a small cake shop with an enormous chandelier), spotting commemorative plaques along the way. 

Onward, past a handsome statue of Reuter, the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England, we happened on the Goldsmiths' Company's garden before pausing at the Guildhall.

We love that everyone brings local knowledge to our walks and that led us to our coffee stop, at the café in the crypt of St Paul's (thank you, Natasha – none of the rest of us knew it was there!).

Fancy joining us on one of our interesting, chatty walks? Look out for our coming up posts and our members' newsletter. 

Coming up in March 2023

A walk through history and art as a therapeutic force – coming up in March

Walk – The Great Fire of London

Saturday 11th March 11.00

Meet at The City Information Centre, St Paul’s Churchyard EC4M 8BX

Walk some of the fascinating history of the Great Fire of London. You'll see the area where the fire started – now commemorated by a plaque, follow the route that people will have taken trying to escape the fire, including London Bridge, which at that time was the only bridge across the River Thames. Other sites you'll see include the Royal Exchange, Guildhall, Leadenhall Street and St Paul's Cathedral. The Monument was built to commemorate the Great Fire of London.

Monthly Meeting – Art as a therapeutic force

Thursday 16th March 7 for 7.30pm, St. Margaret’s House, Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL 

We welcome Mr Steven Snooks: Surgeon, Barrister, Minister, Artist – 

and West Ham fan!

Steven’s talk will feature a number of his paintings that he has shared with patients over the years. We're sure he will tell us more about his fascinating, multi-faceted life and career.

If the gate is locked when you arrive at St Margaret’s there will be a call bell on the right hand side at the back of the gate.

Coffee morning – Friday 31st March

The Nunnery Café, 181 Bow Road, opposite Bow Church

Meeting times flexible: join us at 10.30 if you're an early bird or 11.00ish if you prefer

We make a return trip to an old favourite, The Nunnery Café , Bow Road, part of Bow Arts. There's usually an exhibition to view and why not browse the shop, featuring a hand-picked selection of beautiful prints, pottery, clothing, books and other unique products made by Bow Arts artists.

Buses: 8,25,276, 488,205,108, 425, D8

Bow Church DLR, Bow Road, District Line