Welcoming talent to Luton...

The UK has a history of welcoming people seeking sanctuary after escaping discrimination and war in their own countries, especially Luton which has taken a far greater share in recent years.

There are some who make their mark and over the years more than a handful have become famous artists. Lucien Freud is one example, fleeing to England in the 1930s to avoid Nazi persecution.

Here are a couple of talented young men who came to this country to seek safety and have spent time in our town. They use their art to tell their story and to express themselves. Perhaps they too will make their mark.

Taye from Ethiopia creates work that is a mix of realism, abstract and drawings using pastels, oils and acrylic paint depending on the piece he is creating.

He became interested in art from a young age and has continued his passion.

“I grew up with my grandma and she always went to church and when I didn’t have a class I went with her. I saw the religious iconographies and these inspired me and still do. In school holidays I spent my time drawing and painting”.

He was further influenced by his father and later as teenager when he had the chance to meet and talk to Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle.

With a cemented passion he studied fine art in Addis Ababa specialising in painting.

Coming to this country hasn’t stopped him pursuing his love and has in fact helped him. He has joined an art club in Luton run by a local charity where he is able to express himself through his work.

“Doing my art makes me happy.

“I observe lots and it’s composed by itself in my head then worries my mind until I apply it to canvas or other media”.

Looking forward he hopes one day to exhibit his work and he also wants to explore other media and mix old and new masters. “I want to ‘upgrade’ my skills and move into digital and motion graphics and the film industry.

Hejii, a young Kurdish man from Iraq, explains what his photography means to him.

“I’m not good at talking and not even a pro about telling a story, but I can take a picture and it will tell a thousand stories. A photo for me can explain the scene, or the situation - the picture gives the whole story without saying even a word”.

He has used his art to catalogue his story since arriving here in the UK, including his time in Luton.

“Photography helps me capture anything I want to remember. One photo is enough to not only remind me of details of an event, but it can take me right back to the feelings of that moment”.

Luton has always been a compassionate town with community groups, voluntary sector and public sector organisations supporting those seeking refuge. If you are interested in volunteering in Luton contact bedfordshire@care4calais.org You can also visit www.redcross.org.uk to get involved.

The sky should be the limit for any local business but, for now at least, Luton beekeeper Colin Hall will have to be content with the roof of The Mall.

Colin has kept bees for 50 years and is a trustee of Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association. His apiaries are usually located in places where he can keep his feet on the ground, but he was more than happy to help with The Mall’s initiative to help promote their ongoing sustainability plan by installing bee hives on the centre’s roof.

The majority of town centre shoppers are probably unaware that our fuzzy little friends are getting busy above Boots while they’re spending their Nectar points downstairs.

Once the rooftop house-swarming party was over, Colin explained, “I was invited to position a hive or two up there. I’ve been switched on by the idea that Luton is a town that wants to be greener. People in the Mall are very interested in that and I’ve been working with two of the staff there to keep the bees. It’s a project that they led on.

“All the honey we got from the main hive is sold in the Mall, and the proceeds go to the food bank.