A brush with Christmas: Brian Pollard’s festive designs for St Luke’s

23rd October 2025

St Luke’s Christmas cards on sale now

It might still be October, but at St Luke’s we’re starting to embrace the festive spirit – and what better way to start than with our brand-new charity Christmas cards, available in all our shops now!

This year’s exclusive design has been painted by celebrated local artist and long-time supporter of St Luke’s, Brian Pollard, whose joyful winter scene captures the magic of Plymouth in the snow.

We caught up with Brian to hear more about his inspiration and his special connection to St Luke’s.

The design that Brian has picked for this year’s Christmas card is one of his favourite views of Plymouth he tells us – a snowy scene looking out across the Hoe, with Smeaton’s Tower, Brittany Ferries, balloons in the sky, and people enjoying a joyful winter’s day.

“I’ve taken a bit of artistic licence,” Brian says, “but I’ve included the main features that brighten the painting up.” His signature style brings a sense of charm to the cards, celebrating the community of Plymouth and all that it represents.

Brian, who is one of our charity Patrons, has always felt a deep connection with St Luke’s, having supported our work for many years.

“As a GP for 30 years, I had a very close association with St Luke’s right from the very beginning. It’s such an important charity and not many people realise that a lot of its work is done in the community. It doesn’t get the funding from the government or the NHS to cover the costs, so fundraising becomes so important to keep this important charity going and providing the fantastic service it does.”

Brian is no stranger to supporting charities with his artwork, including having previously designed a card for the RNLI which sold more than 500,000 cards. He is also a recipient of ‘The Pride of Plymouth Award’ for his support of local charities and his voluntary work in schools, where he has run art workshops for over 30 years. Back in 2019, we commissioned Brian to paint the first elephant for Elmer’s Big Parade and with our exciting Guiding Lights Art Trail and Auction coming to Plymouth next summer, we knew around he was the perfect person to kick things off once again.

Brian has painted the first lighthouse sculpture that will feature on the trail, which will see a family-friendly trail of uniquely decorated 2.4 metre tall lighthouses on display at locations across the city. Each lighthouse will be sponsored by a local business then auctioned off in October 2026.

Similar in style to his Christmas card design, Brian’s lighthouse features a sunny scene on Plymouth Hoe, with a Red Arrows flyover, the Tinside Lido and of course, the iconic Smeaton’s Tower. For Brian, lighthouses feature regularly in his work and have now taken on a deeper meaning, so he found it fitting to be the sculpture of choice for the trail.

“It’s a great metaphor for what St Luke’s does,” he says, “guiding people through the difficulties of life, helping them have a safe journey.”

You will be able to see Brian’s lighthouse in person very soon as it will be illuminated and on display when the Barbican lights are switched on, on Saturday 15 November, where Brian will share more about its design and our Guiding Lights trail.

He adds: “I’ll be giving a little chat about the lighthouse, about how it came about and about the actual design while also talking about the important connection with St Luke’s and what the charity is doing over the next 12 months.”

All of St Luke’s Christmas cards, including Brian’s designs are available in our shops now. A pack of 10 cards costs £4.25 and every purchase helps fund the compassionate care we provide to patients and families across the community.

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