In 2013 the Churchill Fellowship funded six weeks to explore the potential opportunities for older artists across Europe. This involved interviews with known and unknown artists, leading museum curators and gallery owners in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Berlin. The results were clear – older artists were seen as hobbyists and not taken seriously if they had not made a name for themselves before they were 50. I was an artist of 65 who was committed to raising respect for older artists.

The Fellowship was followed by a range of highlights focused on older visual and performance artists. In 2014 I devised and directed a Barbican Guildhall Open Lab and in 2015 this work was shown at Rich Mix, Shoreditch. Between 2015 and 2019, the Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, supported my work with regular innovative opportunities.

At 73 my work fuels my life – I exhibit regularly and never stop championing the cause for older artists. In 2019 I spoke at the National Age UK Awayday on Positive Ageing. Questions came thick and fast. What motivates you? What keeps you going? But the comment that stays with me came from a young employee who said, 'when I grow old I want to be like Chris'.