Artist Nathan Wyburn has teamed up with charity Save the Children to promote its flagship fundraiser Christmas Jumper Day by creating a portrait of Welsh-born and Hollywood actor Luke Evans out of Christmas jumpers and decorations.
Christmas Jumper Day is back for the sixth year running on Friday 15th December and is expecting over 5 million people across the UK to take part to help raise money for vulnerable children around the world. Taking part is simple by signing up at christmasjumperday.org, sticking on a seasonal sweater and donating £2.
To encourage families, schools and offices across Wales to participate this year, artist Nathan Wyburn from Blaenau Gwent, who specialises in making celebrity portraits out of non-traditional materials, used Christmas Jumpers, tinsel and baubles to create a portrait of Luke Evans. The decorations were donated by volunteers, supporter and staff members from the Save the Children in Wales team.
“I’m lucky enough to be in a situation where I can use my artwork and name to support great causes and when I was approached with this idea I thought it was a lot of fun, especially as I’m a big fan of Luke Evans,” said Nathan, 28.
“I’ve used a variety of materials from marmite on toast, baked beans, coffee, dog biscuits and human hair to create celebrity portraits in the past but Christmas Jumpers was a first for me! The nearest I’ve come is when I used 1,000 baby grows to create a portrait of Will and Kate and Princess Charlotte when she was born.
“I hope Luke will like the portrait and that it will help raise money for a great charity which helps children all over the world and here in Wales.”
Beauty & The Beast, The Hobbit and The Girl on The Train actor Luke Evans, originally from Aberbargoed, is supporting Christmas Jumper Day this year by joining a host of other stars in creating a Selfish Mother slogan sweater. Luke’s jumper featuring the slogan ‘DASHING ELF’ is available to buy exclusively at Selfish Mother’s online store with carrying a 50% donation to Save the Children. Luke also visited India last December to see the work that the charity does in the most deprived communities in Mumbai and has visited a school running the charity’s parental engagement programme, FAST, in his home county of Caerphilly.
Luke Evans said: “I have visited amazing Save the Children education projects in both Wales and India. I met inspiring children, families and staff and saw first-hand how fundraising campaigns like Christmas Jumper Day can make a huge difference.
Don’t forget to wear your Christmas Jumper on December the 15th and if you don’t have one yet, my ‘DASHING ELF’ sweater from Selfish Mother is a must!”
Louise Davies, Head of Save the Children in Wales added: “We’re thrilled to have the support of talented artists and famous names to promote this year’s Christmas Jumper Day in Wales. All money raised through wacky woolly-wearing could help give a child living in a refugee camp clothes to keep them warm through winter, help us buy nutritious food for their entire family, or set up a safe space to give children the chance to be children again. It could also help our work in some of the most deprived communities in Wales supporting families through our programme work.”
To register to take part on Friday 15th December and receive a free fundraising pack visit christmasjumperday.org
