Publish date: 17 September 2025
The family of a local artist who was treated in Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Windmill unit have donated some of his watercolour paintings of windmills to the unit, as a token of appreciation.
Ken Weigh loved painting landscapes and when he died, aged 94, his wife and daughters thought it was fitting for the scenes he’d painted of windmills in Rhodes and in Staining, to provide a comforting splash of colour that others could enjoy. The paintings are now on display in the unit’s quiet rooms, in an area used by Ken’s stepdaughter Helen, who is a lung cancer nurse specialist at the Windmill unit.
Ken’s wife Gillian recalled how they’d met in 1980 as members of Blackpool Art Society. At that point, Ken was a retired signwriter but his burgeoning artistry went from strength to strength following Gillian’s advice and, in her words, “He became better at painting than me!”
Ken and Gillian enjoyed many years of painting together and often took their easels and paints on holiday to capture landscapes such as the medieval windmill at Mandraki harbour in Rhodes.
Ken’s daughter Sue said: “Dad would be delighted to know that some of his art is here to be enjoyed, it’s lovely that something so tangible is on display.”
