Christine Cockburn 1942-2024

When Christine retired, her busy social life really took off. With the time to indulge her interests, Christine joined numerous societies, including the Decorative and Fine Arts Society, the Civic Society, the National Women’s Register, Lytham Heritage Group, the Fylde Film Society and the Friends of the Lytham St. Anne’s Art Collection.

Being supremely well organised, several of these groups drew on her formidable administrative skills and Christine organised numerous, successful fund-raising trips and became Membership Secretary for our Friends group.

Christine died, aged 81, quietly, at home after having enjoyed a full day out with a friend planning the next outing for our Friends group to Gawthorpe Hall and Boundary Mill.

Her family have kindly offered for donations in her memory to be made to our Friends group and the funds we generate will create a Memorial Fund in Christine’s name which will be used to further the work we carry out on preserving and restoring our valued Art Collection.

About The Friends of the Lytham St Annes Art Collection Charity

Did you know? There are over 300 works of art donated to the townspeople of the borough of Lytham St Annes? We're on a mission to conserve these artwrorks for our's and the next generation to enjoy.

The Friends of the Lytham St Annes Art Collection was formed in 2008 by Chair, Margaret Race, to raise awareness and to create opportunities to display the Collection. Another important aim is to raise funds for conservation.

Why Are We Fundraising?

Prior to creating the Friends, Margaret Race learned that the local Council had only a very limited amount of money to spend annually on the Collection. Maintenance costs ate away at most of it with just a little left for the costly conservation work which was so desperately needed.

It was knowing this, and the fact that there were so many paintings and sculptures waiting to be cleaned and repaired, that made Margaret determined to raise money so that more artworks could be conserved. On announcing her plans it was suggested to her that rather than just fund-raising perhaps the Collection as a whole needed a ‘Friends’ group.

It made sense and so the Friends of the Lytham St Annes Art Collection was born and as can be seen on our website, several artworks have been or are in the process of being conserved as a direct result of the work of the Friends.

Most of our fundraising has come from generous, public-spirited individuals or organisations who have become aware of the Collection and who answered our call for help, kindly donating money to enable artwork to be conserved.

Thank you to everyone who makes a donation.

Find out more about the Friends of the Lytham St Annes Art Collection on our website: https://friendsofthelythamstannesartcollection.org