A THREE-WEEK exhibition dedicated to a “much loved” artist is being held in Dovercourt to celebrate his life and paintings.

The artwork of Dovercourt resident John Todd, who was also known as “No Hands John” for riding a bike without holding onto the handlebars, will be on show at the Harwich Arts and Heritage Centre from November 9 until November 29.

John died surrounded his family in January, aged 60, after losing his battle with cancer.

He painted throughout his entire life, and the paintings on display will be sold in aid of the Trinity Ward in the Fryatt Hospital, and Cancer Research UK.

The exhibition is being organised by Isobel Morath.

She said: “John was my partner’s uncle, and a much-loved member of the Harwich community.”

But John’s life contained many ups and downs.

He was given up by his mother at birth and fostered by Lillian Golding when he was two weeks old.

Although John was never officially adopted, he soon became a permanent part of her family.

By the time John started school it became apparent he struggled with learning, and he was diagnosed with autism.

He was sent to a different school for people with disabilities, but it did not cater specifically for his needs.

Christopher Golding, John’s foster brother, said: “John left school at 15 and despite finding reading and writing challenging, he always showed an interest in drawing and could often be found quietly doodling.”

John found his first job in his late teens operating machinery in a factory which made brushes.

Christopher said: “John was always a very popular person in our area.

“Everyone looked after him and although he had no interest in sports, he loved to cycle and often had company riding around on his bike.

“While riding his bike, John would often throw his hands in the air and shout ‘no hands’, which began his nickname as ‘No Hands John’, which seemed to stick with him through the years.

“His passion for painting also continued to grow, and when John was in his late teens, he was offered the chance to enter his work into a competition for people with disabilities, which he won.

“He made himself and his family so proud.

“Our mum and dad took John to Butlins in Clacton on holidays, which John always enjoyed.”

Sadly, John was often the target of verbal abuse while he was on his bike by local yobs.

But John never stopped focusing on painting.

He painted many landscapes that he liked and lived in Dovercourt before he died.

During his life John also lived in Walthamstow, where he was born, and Thorpe le Soken.

Christopher added: “Many people in Clacton and Harwich grew to love John.

“There was nothing not to like about John - he was always kind and would never hurt anyone.

“In his later life, we found his birth mother and he was able to visit her shortly before she died.”