Charity art sale organiser shares heartbreaking story behind choosing Alzheimer's Society as beneficiary

The event, which was a sell-out success last year, with customers queuing overnight to get their hands on paintings, is aiming to raise around £10,000 for charity.

Tina lost her hero father to dementia two decades ago and more recently her father-in-law and mother-in-law were also impacted by the condition.

Her father, Ron Chapman, was a Royal Air Force Pilot during the Second World War who flew the legendary Lancaster – the most famous and successful RAF heavy bomber.

Ron then went on to work at the Army Air Corps and after the war he became a flying instructor.

“My father Ron, was an inspiring man who could do anything he put his mind to," Tina said.

"We noticed things change in his seventies as dementia took hold and eventually, we had to accept he needed to go into a care home.

"He still recognised his wife of 60 years but very cruelly for the rest of the family he didn’t recognise us. My mum only lived for two months after he died; we all believe she died of a broken heart.

"A decade after I lost my father, my husband Roger and I invited my parents in-law to live in Shrewsbury.

"After 11 years, Roger’s father, Eric, started to show signs of dementia.

"His wife, Betty, tried valiantly to care for him with our help but this became too much and we made the difficult decision to move him to a care home. He died six months later.

"Cruelly, after a short illness last Christmas, Betty also declined in health, physically and mentally, was often confused and was unable to take care of day-to-day things and sadly died at the end of May this year."

The Secret Artist Sale will raise money for five good causes – Breast Cancer Now, Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, Alzheimer's Society, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Severn Hospice.

At the beginning of this month, it was announced that popular TV celebrity and comedian Joe Lycett has contributed a unique piece of artwork for the sale.

The Secret Artist Sale takes place on Sunday, August 20 at The Soden Collection in Wyle Cop (viewing day on August 19) and features more than 250 original pieces of work from local, national and international artists.

Tina added: "We wanted Alzheimer’s Society to benefit from The Secret Artist Sale because of the amazing work they do.

"We know from our own experience that dementia has a massive impact on families and loved ones and we all wanted to do what we could to support the charity.

“I am really looking forward to the event and raising even more money for such deserving causes this year than last.

"It is also a great event to promote Shrewsbury, which is a town I love to call home and have done for the last 17 years.”

More than £800 was raised specifically for Alzheimer’s Society last year and the organisers hope to raise even more this year.

Alzheimer's Society community fundraiser Rachel Ford said: “It’s wonderful that Tina and the whole Secret Artist Sale team are giving their time to support Alzheimer’s Society.

"A third of us will develop dementia in our lifetimes, making it the biggest health and social care challenge we face.

“Alzheimer’s Society is a vital source of support and a powerful force for change for everyone affected by dementia.

"We want everyone affected by dementia to know that whoever you are, whatever you’re going through, you can turn to us for expert support through practical advice, emotional support, and guidance for the best next step.

“There are more than 5,700 people living with dementia in Shropshire. But we simply can’t reach everyone without the continued support of our incredible fundraisers like Tina and The Secret Artist Sale team.”