Quentin Blake illustration workshops help draw people together
Ann Gregory takes a sketch book with her when she’s travelling on a train or a bus nowadays. Drawing the things she sees through the window is a new hobby the 78-year-old Londoner took up after attending workshops run by National Lottery-funded Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.
Ann said, “I’ve become much better at drawing. My drawings don’t always work, but I love it.”
For 80-year-old Fauziah from Hackney, the same workshops have sparked an interest in painting with watercolours. Her coffee table has become her “art table”, she says.
Meanwhile, Arthur Lashley, an 85-year-old from Islington, is seeing his surroundings with fresh eyes. Arthur said, “We tend to see the world as if we’re wearing blinkers. But when we got together as a group [in the illustration workshops] each person revealed his or her way of seeing things. It opened your eyes to different perspectives and taught you to be more observant.”
The workshops are held at The Peel, a charity in London’s Clerkenwell that seeks to build stronger communities via activities ranging from arts and craft workshops to exercise classes and outings. Ann, Fauzia and Arthur are regular visitors, who enjoy catching up with friends as much as learning new skills.
Ann said, “The Peel is a community and most of us have lost our own community because people have moved out. This is a place where you can enjoy yourself and have a cup of tea and a chat.”
Fauzia added, “Instead of staying in the house and being lonely I come here.”
The Peel has a “long history” of collaborating with the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration which, from 2014 to 2020, was housed in a building in Kings Cross. In July 2020, it was announced that the Centre would move to New River Head, an historic site in Clerkenwell that’s just a short walk from The Peel.
New River Head’s 18th and 19th century industrial buildings are being transformed – with the help of £3.75Million of funding made possible by National Lottery players – into a brand-new Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration that is scheduled to open in 2026.
The Centre is named after the celebrated English illustrator whose work brought to life stories by acclaimed authors including Roald Dahl and Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr Seuss). As well as providing a permanent home for 40,000 items from Blake’s archive, the new Centre (artist's impression pictured) will stage exhibitions by Blake and other illustrators and offer budding artists the chance to develop new skills.
The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration’s workshops at The Peel are attended by members of its Adult Social Club, a program of activities aimed at older residents. One workshop saw participants creating a map of Clerkenwell; others have seen them decorate a tote bag, learn paper marbling – a method of producing decorative patterns similar to smooth marble – and create an online ‘quilt’ by digitally ‘stitching together’ designs made on paper.
Ann, Fauzia and Arthur are looking forward to seeing the new Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration when it opens it doors. Ann said, “I went there before they started the work and can’t wait to see it when it’s finished. It’s going to be quite a place.”
Roald Dahl Day is celebrated each year on 13th September.
1st September 2025
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