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Social worker Sharon Yorke on performing at Glastonbury – and how her mum inspired her latest art work

From performing on stage at Glastonbury to producing beautiful abstract art, our social worker Sharon Yorke has always carried a creative flair.

Little did she think though that her stunning work would provide solace for countless visitors to St Michael’s.

“A colleague saw some of my paintings and suggested one could be displayed in the Hospice’s Iona Room, which is a quiet space where patients and relatives can come to gather their thoughts or remember loved ones,” said Sharon, who joined our Social Work team last year.

“The artwork that’s displayed is very special to me. It’s inspired by my mum, Janice, who died in 2022.

“It’s a dreamscape illustrating a journey between here and where people might go when they die. It’s a very spiritual piece.

“I was thinking of my mum when I produced the painting, although I didn’t know how it was going to come out. That’s all part of the journey.”


Above: Sharon’s mum, Janice | Sharon and fellow Pushka member Justin Jones | Sharon (left) performing with Pushka at the Greenfield Tent at Glastonbury in 2000

Janice was cared for at home by Sharon’s dad, and received support from our Hospice at Home team.

“It was my first insight into what a kind, caring and loving team St Michael’s is,” said Sharon.

“Now, I feel incredibly proud to be part of the wider St Michael’s team. I feel like this is the job I’d like for the rest of my life. In so many places, you can’t go above and beyond for patients and their loved ones, but at St Michael’s, you really can.” 

“I feel incredibly proud to be part of the wider St Michael’s team. I feel like this is the job I’d like for the rest of my life. In many places, you can’t go above and beyond for patients and their loved ones, but at St Michael’s, you can.”

Sharon’s love for art thrived at school, but her creative output took a different turn after leaving when she joined pop band Pushka.

The emerging group performed at Glastonbury two years running in 1999 and 2000, headlining the Greenfield Stage.

It wasn’t until 2009, whilst pregnant with her daughter, that she was reunited with art.

“I just started drawing a few small paintings for her room,” said Sharon. “I posted the work on social media and people started asking me for work. So that started my journey back into art – it’s always been a passion of mine.

“Now, it feels so special and fitting to have a painting of mine inspired by my mum to be hung at St Michael’s where I work. I feel my mum was trying to engineer it all really!”

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