Padgate 90-year-old seeks to sell his life's work of paintings

Padgate resident Tom Bates has always had a love for art and is a self-taught and talented artist who has never stopped creating new works of art.

But as the paintings continue to mount up, Tom will inevitably be eating his tea on his beautiful canvases if he doesn’t sell some soon.

“I have no more room in my living room, it is absolutely full,” he said. “I have cupboards full of paintings and drawings.”

The retired postman of 20 years used to make commissions on request and explained how any proceeds from the sale of his paintings has always been donated to St Rocco’s Hospice or Cancer Research UK.

Tom's house is showered with unique paintings, many that have sprung straight from his imagination (Image: Dave Gillespie)
He creates art in many forms including water colour, charcoal, pen and ink and acrylic.

He also uses parts of antique clocks to make weird and wonderful creations.

Tom has been picking up a paint brush since he was a young boy.

“When I was five or six, paper, pencils and paint were unheard of.  Any sort of paper I could get I would draw.

“It is just a little gift I have. It really gets me through life. Without that, I do not know what I would do,” he said.

Before committing himself to delivering post to the community, Tom spent his earlier career in the navy.

“I was in the navy for seven years and I had a break from painting then. I was an ordnance engineer; it was all to do with explosives.

“We only went on the big ships. I enjoyed it.”

After retiring from working life in 1988, Tom focused on his love of painting. He told how much of his inspiration for paintings is drawn from his imagination.

Tom's house is showered with unique paintings, many that have sprung straight from his imagination (Image: Dave Gillespie)
The 90-year-old widow spoke of how the hobby has kept him going through tough times, after tragically losing his wife, Shelia Bates, and daughter, Janet Ramsden  to cancer in the space of two years during the Covid pandemic.

“When I come down in a morning I speak to my wife and tell her what I am doing that day,” he said.

The pensioner's creative flare was passed through his genes to his son Andrew Bates, he told us. 

Andrew tragically died 20 years ago at the young age of 38.

"He was a fashion designer," Tom explained. "They had just made him manager of the children's department at a firm in Manchester.

"He had made the bridesmaids dresses for a couples wedding at the time and had attended the wedding in Warrington that day.

"I asked if he wanted to stay over at home but he insisted he wanted to travel back to his home in Salford as he had just been paid for the work and wanted to go shopping. He loved to shop.

"He was in Lewis's department store in Manchester when he dropped dead."

Tom added that the cause of his sons death had been a cerebral hemorrhage.

"He was fantastic at what he did, very artistic. He was better than me."

Tom said art has helped him to battle grief over the years of his life (Image: Dave Gillespie)
The admirable artist battles his grief of the past by keeping busy, running a weekly art class at mental health charity Warrington Day Service, run by Making space on Allen Street.

“I teach them how to paint. They are all lovely people and I enjoy every minute of it.”

If that wasn’t enough, he also captains the snooker B team in Woolston.

Addressing his admirations for his paintings, he added: “I would love to sell them all and get the money to St Rocco’s Hospice.”

If you would be interested in purchasing a piece of art or finding out more about Toms life-long collection, email jessica.barnes@newsquest.co.uk