Dame Judi Dench and Mel Giedroyc are among a host of celebrities supporting an art project set up in memory of an Oxford woman who passed away from bowel cancer at 32 years old.

Beth Foreman was cared for in the Sobell House Hospice in 2016 where she died of bowel cancer with the Beth’s Bursary Fund established in her memory following her passing.

The My Lovely Postcards art exhibition and auction will raise money for the fund, which is part of the Sobell House Hospice Charity.

A number of celebrities are supporting the project and have submitted their own original artwork that will be sold off to raise money. 

Dame Judi Dench, Mel Giedroyc, Suzie Fletcher, Paul Chahidi, Mark Gatiss, Siobhán McSweeney and Annie Sloane are just some of the celebrities taking part. 

Dame Judi Dench said: “Sobell House were so wonderful to my friend Joanne Hope who died last year.

"I visited her there and I know how comfortable she was and how much easier they made it for her.

"I thank them very much indeed and hope this project raises a huge amount of money.”

Beth’s Bursary Fund exists to help pay for additional skills training for specialist palliative nurses and palliative care staff.

Guy Foreman, Beth’s brother said the name, My Lovely Postcards, came from their dad, Neil’s, use of the term "my lovely" with Beth.

He said: “The bedside manner and ability to empathise with Beth that we encountered at Sobell House and the John Radcliffe was just fantastic.

“Continuing professional development is key to providing the very best care, informed by the latest medical research and techniques.”

Meanwhile, her friend, Veronica Brooks, who is also involved in the project said they wanted to "very appropriately honour" Beth’s creativity, describing the fashion design graduate as "such a lively, creative young woman".

Beth’s other brother, Jonas Foreman, says the fund means more nurses can access training courses which currently many nurses are having to pay for themselves.

He said: "If we can increase the chance of someone else getting access to the kind of care that Beth got, then that is a small win for life in general.

"One of the biggest factors that helped Beth maintain her spirit was the nursing staff around her.”

Mary Walding, lead specialist nurse for palliative care, at Sobell House Hospice Charity said: "There is stiff competition for restricted resources which presents a challenge to providing the extent of training that we'd like.

"Having Beth's Bursary available allows nurses and therapists to extend their knowledge and helps to develop services.”

More than 180 artists in total have shared more than 400 pieces of artwork that will now go on sale.

The postcard-sized pieces of art will be on display in Oxford for one week during a special exhibition and will also be available to buy at an online auction here.

The exhibition will take place as part of Oxfordshire Artweeks at St John the Evangelist Arts on Iffley Road, Oxford, in the Cloister Gallery on May 20 and 21 and between May 24 to 28 from 11am to 6pm.