Friday was the opening night of a long-awaited three-week exhibition in memory of a “much-loved” artist to celebrate his life and paintings.

The truly-special artwork of John Todd will be displayed in the Harwich Arts and Heritage Centre until Friday, November 29.

John was also well-known as “No hands John” because while riding his bike, John would often throw his hands in the air and shout “no hands!”, which started his nickname and got stuck to him through the years.

Unfortunately, John died surrounded by his family in January, after losing his battle with cancer at the age of 60.

Although John was autistic and struggled with reading and writing, he always had a passion for drawing.

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.

Isobel Morath, exhibition organiser, said: “I’m very excited about the exhibition opening, and for people in Harwich to see a side of John Todd which they might not have seen before.

“I hope as many people as possible come to see the exhibition as it’s not just about purchasing the work for charity, but also seeing the achievements of John’s life, and the product of one of his greatest passions.

“John’s family have been overwhelmed by the response to the announcement of the exhibition, and the number of people who knew John throughout his life and they are excited to show everyone the fantastic art work John created, and raise money for a good cause.”

John did not have an easy life, he always had ups and downs, like all of us have.

He was given up by his mother at birth due to being mixed-raced, but fortunately at two weeks old he was taken into foster care by Lillian Golding.

Christopher Golding, John’s foster brother, said: “Being only five at the time, I liked the idea of having a brother who was black, because nobody else I knew had a brother who was black.

“Although my parents never officially adopted John, he soon became a permanent part of our family.”

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

But John never stopped focusing on painting.

In his late teens John was offered the chance to enter his work into a competition for people with disabilities, which he won.

He lived in Dovercourt before he died and he painted many landscapes he liked of the area.

A spokesman for the Harwich Arts and Heritage Centre said: “The exhibition has a really unique story behind it.

“I would like to thank Isobel Morath and John’s family for organising the exhibition - I’m really looking forward to seeing the work on display”.

The exhibition will be open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, while on Sundays it will be closed.