City News

An exhibition of artwork and textiles will be opened next week to celebrate the achievements of a former foster child who has completed an MA with the help of a grant from a City Council scheme.

Charlene Clempson, who was looked after by Birmingham City Council during her teenage years, will have her work displayed in an exhibition at the ICC on 26th and 27th June, as part of the city council’s Adults and Communities and Children, Young People and Families annual staff conference.

After completing her A levels and a BA in Fine Art at the University of Derby, the 24-year-old was awarded a place at St Martin’s College in London where she completed an MA in Textile Design.

Due to a lack of grants for postgraduate study, Charlene was supported by the Eve Brook Scholarship Fund – a scheme which was founded by Eve, a former Birmingham City Councillor and Chair of Social Services just before she died of cancer in 1998, at the age of 53. It enables young people, who have been looked after by Birmingham City Council, to gain higher education by funding grants to pay for fees and living expenses.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Mike Sharpe and the Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, Councillor Sue Anderson will be at the exhibition on Monday, 26th June, where Charlene’s work will be on sale.

Other special guests at the event will include patron of the fund, director and writer Simon Callow, and Eve Brook’s husband, playwright David Edgar who sits on the fund’s trust.

Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, Councillor Sue Anderson said: “The Eve Brook Scholarship Fund provides a wonderful opportunity for many foster children to go on to higher education, despite not having the financial support they need. I am so pleased the fund was able to help Charlene achieve her true potential and I hope she continues to accomplish great things.”

Charlene, who is originally from Small Heath, but is currently living in London, said: “I’m really excited about the exhibition. It is fantastic of the fund to help me do this on top of all the support I’ve already had. It has given me so many more opportunities by enabling me to carry on to higher education which I would not have been able to do, as being in care I haven’t had the financial backing or parental support. I hope the fund will continue to help other foster children as it really does make a difference.”

Having completed her MA, Charlene would now like to carry out research into changing the aesthetics of funeral textiles, having previously studied the way in which textiles contribute to celebrating the lives of the dead.