A FOOTBALL and art exhibition from two men who were at the heart of Carlisle United’s glorious 1990s is being held this week – for a great cause.
Former Blues boss Mick Wadsworth and leading photographer Stuart Roy Clarke are displaying their work at the city’s Old Fire Station.
And the two men are also taking part in a sell-out evening show, hosted by former BBC Radio Cumbria commentator Nick Barnes, where they will share stories about their careers.
The event on Friday is in aid of Eden Valley Hospice.
Wadsworth, who led United to the title and a first Wembley appearance in 1995, recently turned his hand to art and has produced a series of drawings, many focused on football grounds.
Clarke is the renowned ‘Homes of Football’ photographer who has captured the game in a range of settings across the world – and was also close to the United team in Wadsworth’s 1994/5 heyday.
They will be selling copies of their work on Friday in the hope they can raise as much money as possible in aid of the hospice.
Friday’s talk-in was rearranged after the scheduled event was postponed last year, and Clarke says he and Wadsworth are greatly looking forward to sharing their work – and stories – with fans.
“Mick’s going to depend on his wit, which isn’t hard, as he’s a very good speaker, as many people here in Carlisle and Cumbria will know,” Clarke said.
“I need my pictures, which will be projected behind me as I talk, and we’ll interject and intertwine with one another.
“The event has effectively grown from the [1994/5 team] reunion at Harraby Catholic Club last autumn. That was all about the players, getting them all back together, and from there [organiser] Colin Carter encouraged Mick and I to do what we both do best: show and tell.
“It’s about our careers in football and there are a great many stories to tell. I hope people will find a real warmth and humanity in the show, that we raise some smiles, and that it speaks of a real love for football, Carlisle, Cumbria and the careers we have struck.”
An exhibition of Wadsworth’s art and Clarke’s photography will be on show for free from 10am to 5pm in the Old Fire Station, while the sell-out evening event starts at 7.30pm.
On the charity side of the event, Clarke said: “The appeals in Tony Hopper’s memory, for Eden Valley Hospice, have been fantastic and that’s what we’re raising money for.
“If we sell a picture, one of Mick’s or mine, or however many, that money will go to the hospice. They’ll be there to see what good work we’re trying to do for them. They’re a great outfit that need help.”
It will be a latest return to Carlisle for Wadsworth after he recently came back to manage his former players in the 1994/5 v 2005/6 reunion game.
Clarke said he was taken aback by the former United director of coaching’s artistic skills.
“It’s something he’s probably done for years, but tiny sketches. I was encouraging him to go a bit further, and, come the first [Covid] lockdown, boy did he!
“He’s done his own sort of Homes of Football, and also drawings of coalmines, landscapes…a bit like what I’ve done with photos, revisiting much loved football grounds.
“I asked if copied from photos, and he said no, it was done from memory, which is remarkable.
“From the day I met him, back in 1993, he surprised me with his philosophical takes on life, so shouldn’t be surprised now when he gets out a little folder of pictures and says, ‘Do you like them?’ – I said I love them!
“An idea was born to show them, at least this once, at the Old Fire Station and I hope people enjoy them.”
Wadsworth will share stories from his richly varied career at the evening event, while Clarke will discuss his broad photographic experiences which has seen him work at every World Cup since 1990.
“We’ve both done what we’ve loved and it’s not over yet,” he added.
READ MORE: Carlisle United's 1994/5 and 2005/6 heroes roll back the years at reunion game
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