TŶ Pawb today joins other iconic galleries and the British Film Institute to present an exhibition where the subjects are unheralded everyday champions of the arts sector.

Ruthin fashion creator Patrick Joseph and Welsh National Opera producer Jennifer Hill are among the remarkable people throughout the UK who are being honoured by the National Lottery for keeping the arts in their local area alive and accessible for all or supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities through the arts.

The exhibition – titled, The National Lottery’s 2020 Portraits of the People - honours 13 of these artistic champions for making a significant difference to lifting people’s spirits this year, using some of the £30m raised by National Lottery players every week for good causes.

The digital exhibition can be visited on the websites and social media of: Tŷ Pawb in Wrexham, National Museum Wales, Ruthin Craft Centre in Ruthin, Wales, The National Portrait Gallery, London, The MAC in Belfast, IKON Gallery in Birmingham, Summerhall in Edinburgh, The Photographers’ Gallery in London and BFI (The British Film Institute).

The portraits will also be on display at the BFI Southbank in London.

Photographer Chris Floyd, who has spent his 25-year career photographing household names such as Sir Paul McCartney, Victoria Beckham and Sir Mo Farah, has been commissioned by The National Lottery to capture the portraits.

The works aim to create a ‘moment in history’, preserving the work of these unheralded champions for posterity and encapsulating the varied and innovative ways art can be expressed.

When lockdown started, Ruthin based Patrick Joseph, like so many others, saw his business of bespoke clothing coming to an abrupt halt; but he was quick to adapt, as face masks became the unforeseen clothing choice of 2020.

After seeing multiple news reports on mask shortages and defects, Patrick began engineering one of his own in his Ruthin Craft Centre studio, before getting it swiftly medically approved by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in The Wirral.

Aside from the protection the masks offer, nurses, doctors and patients have benefited from the cheerful designs, colourful fabric choices and uplifting hidden messages written inside that are visible only to the mask wearer.

The 55-year-old artisan tailor who has worked with the likes of Cheryl Cole, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams said: “As an artist, to be able to swing quickly to something that has a need was excellent. Putting messages or some sort of narrative onto garments has always been an interest of mine.”

The organisation is just one of many causes who benefit from the £30 million raised by National Lottery players each week and Patrick admits he doesn’t know where he’d be without the support, adding: “The National Lottery has been the banker of the arts in Wales.

"None of this would have happened if it was just me, myself and I doing this in isolation.”

To find out more about how The National Lottery is celebrating the work done by unheralded people across the UK, visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk