Text & Photography Jake Rusby
Feeling ‘free’ while confined to a wheelchair might sound impossible. But thanks to a move to North Shields, Louise Scott – who lives with Multiple Sclerosis – has discovered it can be a reality.
A progressive condition that can drastically affect motor skills, M.S has completely changed the way Louise lives day to day.
But North Shields, where her specially-adapted home overlooks the Tyne, has given her a new lease of life.
Put simply, she says: ‘I feel like I’m me again. One hundred percent me’.
As well as having a bungalow suited to her needs, the new wheelchair-friendly ramp leading down to the Fish Quay is situated just yards from her front door.
What is almost more important than the physical freedom, is the mental freedom it has provided.
I am interviewing her in her kitchen, over a not-so-ordinary kitchen table. Overlooked by colourful wallpaper designed by her artist friend Rachel Macarthur, we chat with elbows resting on the same surface as a collection of beautifully-painted blocks of wood.
This is because Louise’s kitchen has taken on a second life as her studio, with pots and pans sitting side-by-side with acrylic paints and moulding clay. The 44-year-old has found her creative spark again, pursuing her passion as an artist from the comfort of her own home.
Originally from Stockton-Upon-Tees, Louise moved to the North East – Fenham – in 2000 when she undertook a course in Fine Art at Northumbria University.
After university she worked in an art materials shop before she began studying teacher training as part of a PGCE. In 2010, she became one of the 7,000 people a year diagnosed with M.S in the UK.
A single mum to son Robin, 11, she moved from Forest Hall to North Shields in June 2024 in a bid to find a suitable home:
“My relationship ended and my M.S had progressed to the point that I was no longer on my feet, and I needed somewhere suited to my changing needs,” she says.
“It seemed like North Shields was the only place in the North East somewhere like this existed! I was so excited when I came and had a look round and was told I was at the top of the list to get it; and looking back now it completely changed my life.
“That night I went home and ordered the wallpaper as a celebration! I was forced into the move because of something negative, but it has ended up being the best thing I could have done.”
She adds: “Because of my condition I’m not able to work, so I’m extremely grateful I kept going with producing artwork. It is pretty much the only thing I can do now and I can adapt it to suit my changing capabilities.
“Rather than big canvases, which wouldn’t be practical for me, I like to produce work that’s made up of component parts that can be played around with, working at table I can access.
“Where I am I feel calm and happy, and that puts me in the best headspace to create art.
“Art has stayed with me through everything, and I get so much out of it. I’d be lost without it.”
Looking forward, Louise has been invited to contribute to more art exhibitions, and hopes success in her chosen field will soon come her way:
“It’s like when you hear famous comedians talking about the years’ work they put in before becoming famous, I feel like it can be like that within the art world.
“It takes a long time to hone your craft and make the right connections, but it’s one of the things I’m really excited about since I moved to North Shields.
“It seems like there is such a great vibe about the place now, and I am excited to be part of it.”
Instagram @louise_scottart
