The Seagull Has Landed

The most obvious change to Sumner Health Centre of late has been the addition of the seagulls to the walls of the surgery. These were painted for us by local artist, Claire Jackson who was able to take our original idea of a seagull theme and really make it work. We are very grateful to her for the work she has put in to the building.

Claire Jackson is an artist, teacher and mentor born in Paisley, near Glasgow Scotland. She has lived throughout England and Scotland, choosing to study in South Wales. In 1994 she graduated from the University of Glamorgan with a first class B.A. in Humanities specializing in Ceramic Sculpture. When Claire was not studying, she could be found climbing the sea cliffs or scuba diving off the Welsh shores. If it was raining she’d be in the Otely, a pub rumored to be frequented by Tom Jones. Living and studying in the South Wales Valleys was an education in itself.

After graduating, Claire chose to move to Cardiff, capital of Wales in order to pursue a career in Community Arts. Working at Llanover Hall Arts Centre and Fairwater Industrial Pottery provided her the opportunity to work alongside a diverse range of people from adults to youth with learning disabilities, teaching ceramics and mosaics. Opening the kiln after a glazing firing to see all the treasures created by local children thickly coated in glazes and slips was the best part of her job as a Ceramic Technician. It was this experience that encouraged her to enrol at the University of Wales, Cardiff, where she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary Education. From 1998 to 2001 she worked as an Art Teacher at Porth Comprehensive School. An education in itself!

From an early age Claire was introduced to the pleasures of travel and experiencing other cultures. Family holidays took her to exotic places such as Cyprus and Kenya, as well visiting many places within her own country and Europe. At the age of 19 Claire decided to apply to Operation Raleigh and participated on a 3 month expedition to Borneo. This was the start of her fundraising skills and further fuelled her passion for adventure and the outdoors. Her curiosity for other cultures and communities has led her to the Southern Hemisphere where she has been living in Christchurch for the last 5 years. She is pleased to note that she still gets culture shock despite her experiences.

Voluntary work has always played a major role in Claire’s life providing richness to her life through experience and friendships. Since the age of 23 she has been involved with non profit organizations such as The Princes Trust, Creation Therapeutic Arts Trust, and Archetype Film Trust. The service she has undertaken has taken her to places as far as America and Buckingham Palace. She is currently involved with the Kairos Foundation Programme, an International Education Programme providing trainings for transformation and personal growth.

Claire still practices her art alongside her voluntary work, maintaining friendships and a full time job mixing house paint. If you are interested in contacting Claire regarding art projects, she can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .