Leigh artist devastated as house fire ruins many hand-crafted works

Max Ayres, from Leigh, has an art collection spanning more than seventy years and has focused much of his work on local landmarks, buildings, and heritage sites.

His collection includes incredible paintings of former pits and collieries around Leigh, many of which have been showcased at Salford Museum and Art Gallery and Leigh Archives, as well as a breadth of portraits and other works. 

After building an accomplished seventy-year collection, disaster struck when Max was in hospital with an illness earlier this month, as a fire tragically swept through his home.

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Max's painting of Bickershaw Pit in 1992 (Image: Max Ayres/ Salford Museum & Art Gallery)
Before the emergency services could get to the flat and extinguish the fire, it had already destroyed the majority of Max's paintings and caused severe smoke damage to many more.

As the renowned artist was due to exhibit his work at Leigh Spinners Mill, the Park Lane team has been working with Wigan Council and local Conservation Society in an attempt to restore as much of the collection as possible.

After his stay in hospital, Max has now been taken to a residential home until his flat is repaired and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the costs of restoring the smoke-damaged paintings.

If some of his collection can be salvaged and restored, there is still a hope that Max will be able to exhibit his life's work in his hometown.

Max has spent 70 years working on his collection (Image: Max Ayres)
Speaking about the tragic incident, Leigh Spinners Mill general manager Jo Platt said: "We had planned to showcase the works of local artist Max Ayres in our gallery.

"Max was enthusiastic about the prospect of exhibiting with us and eagerly anticipated presenting his extensive collection of artwork created over seventy years.

"Unfortunately, Max became ill and was admitted to hospital. During his hospitalisation, a tragic fire swept through his home, resulting in the loss of many of his paintings, and severe fire damage to the remaining pieces.

"We at the mill feel so devastated about this accident and would love to raise money to replenish Max's belongings and allow him to do the one thing he loves, painting.

"We would love for him to regain a sense of normality after having his world turned upside down."

The type of smoke damage that has impacted Max's collection (Image: Max Ayres)

To help with the restoration costs of Max's work, you can donate to the fundraising page here.