02/10/2026
Kent stroke survivor Sam D'Amato and his daughter Daisy will be interviewed by Gaby Roslin on ‘The Make a Difference show’ on Sunday afternoon.
After Sam’s life-changing stroke while on a surf holiday in Cornwall, his daughter Daisy, 11, suggested they start painting together as part of his recovery. What began as a way to navigate an incredibly difficult time soon became something much bigger.
Exactly one year after the stroke, Sam and his family opened the doors to A Stroke of Luck, a bright yellow interactive art gallery in the heart of Margate built on optimism, creativity and shared experiences.
Their colourful paintings and honest family story reached hundreds of thousands of people online before leading to a successful pop-up exhibition at Margate’s Pie Factory Gallery earlier this year.
Now, one year after his stroke, that temporary exhibition has become a permanent home.
More than simply an art gallery, A Stroke of Luck has been created as a place where people can discover joyous artwork, share stories and creative experiences designed to leave them feeling lighter than when they arrived.
Alongside original paintings and limited-edition prints, the now includes Lucky Splat — a paint-splash experience inspired by Daisy’s style and belief that creativity should be fun, fearless and available to everyone.
They will be joined on air by old friend Ollie Tetlow and his 11-year-old daughter Cora. Ollie be sharing what has helped him clinically, physically and mentally through a two and a half year rollercoaster with his health and 57 rounds of chemo when he was told he had just over two weeks to live.
Ollie said: “I wasn’t going to let my cancer stop me from living and continuing with the things that make me happy - time with my family, DJing, running and eating well. 18 months ago though, I decided that just “living” wasn’t good enough and went beyond that to turbo-charge what living really means when you’re not sure how much life you have left.
“From raising over £160k for Bowelbabe to being even more active than before the cancer to having experiences that I never thought possible including getting a regular DJ at slot at Ministry Of Sound, playing Pikes in Ibiza, meeting the King & Queen at Buckingham Palace, trips to No.10, being on BBC radio and meeting so many heroes in the DJ world and beyond, it’s been unlike anything I could have imagined.”
The Make a Difference Show spotlights ordinary people who are actively making a meaningful impact within their local communities. It goes out across the BBC local radio network on Sunday and they’re due to be on at 2.15pm. We’ll share a catch-up link on BBC Sounds next week!
