Hedges Law, one of the region’s longest serving law firms, will be celebrating Oxfordshire Artweeks 2024 by teaming up with local artists, including official Olympic artist and former British rower Annabel Eyres, in support of the charity, Homeless Oxfordshire.
Held over three weeks in May, Oxfordshire Artweeks is the UK’s oldest and biggest creative arts event, with studio doors open and pop-up exhibitions on display for visitors to explore throughout the county. Starting on the 11th and running to 19th May artists based in Oxford, and the surrounding area, will be taking centre stage to showcase the talent on offer in the city.
In celebration, Hedges has invited local artists Lucy Hutchison and Annabel Eyres, to exhibit and display pieces from their collections at the law firm’s Summertown office on Banbury Road during Artweeks.
Annabel Eyres is a former British Olympian who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as being part of a coxless pairs that won at the 1990 National Championships. An Alumni of Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at the University of Oxford, Annabel is one of six international artists that have been selected to join the Olympian Artists programme. The initiative, now in its fifth year, is organised by the Olympic Museum and promotes the creative voices of Olympians and Paralympians. In the run up to the Paris Games taking place this summer, Annabel has been commissioned by the Olympic Museum to produce an individual project to be unveiled in the run up to the opening ceremony.
A graduate of the Harrow Art School and Central Saint Martins, Lucy Hutchison is a fine artist based in Oxfordshire. Inspired by her passion of Great Britain’s coastlines and landscapes, she is renowned for her background in illustration and her love of colour, with previous clients including Cosmopolitan, Time Out and Sky TV.
Monies raised from the sale of Annabel and Lucy’s pieces during Artweeks will be donated to Hedges’ charity of the year, Homeless Oxfordshire. Serving three areas of the county, including Cherwell, the Vale of White Horse and Oxford city, the charity has a range of specialist support services as well as accommodation to home up to 170 people at one time, providing safety and support while people focus on rebuilding their lives.
Nicola Poole, Managing Director at Hedges Law said: “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Lucy and Annabel this year in celebration of Oxfordshire Artweeks and in support of our charity of the year, Homeless Oxfordshire.
“The charity and its amazing team undertake some incredibly challenging work, supporting those in their time of need by offering a safe and comfortable place to stay, as well as a huge range of other support services that can help get them back on their feet.
“Oxfordshire has a plethora of artistic and creative talent and is home to one of the UK’s best Fine Art schools. Artweeks provides a fantastic opportunity for those living and working in the county to showcase their brilliance, while it also provides a platform for us to raise awareness for a cause close to our hearts.”
Annabel added: “Oxfordshire Artweeks is a fantastic stage for local artists, such as myself and Lucy, to share our passion, while hopefully inspiring others in the local community, young and old, to pick up a pencil, paint brush and to explore all the other mediums art has to offer.
“2024 is a truly exciting year for me personally, being a part of the Olympic artist programme as the games in Paris get closer. Supporting Hedges in raising awareness for their charity of the year is the icing on the cake.”
Founded in 1789, Hedges’ team of professionals provide legal support for its clients across all aspects of their lives, including advising on wills, probate and inheritance planning, property law and conveyancing as well as dispute resolution, family and divorce. The law firm has branches on Banbury Road in Summertown, in Wallingford, and it has recently announced the opening of its new Chipping Norton location which takes place this June.
