My partner, Clive Parkinson, who has died aged 63, was reader in arts, health and social justice at Manchester Metropolitan University. Working across the NHS, higher education and the voluntary sector, Clive became one of the UK’s leading voices in arts and health.
Born in Morecambe, Lancashire, Clive was the son of George, a lorry driver, and Betty (nee Thurlby), a shop worker; both helped nurture the compassion and sense of community that would shape his life. After leaving school at 16 in 1979 with few qualifications, Clive attended Lancaster & Morecambe College before establishing an art studio for the residents of the Royal Albert, a large Victorian hospital for adults with learning disabilities – an experience he would later describe as the most formative of his life. While there, he completed a part-time degree in independent studies and visual art at Lancaster University, where his research focused on the relationship between creativity, culture, the arts and health.
