Both are based on the society's logo, which shows Liddington Hill, and will be used as promotional display material.

The society provided the canvases, with painters Valerie Abbley and Paul Hill working on a large, wide picture, and Licina Niznikova producing a smaller, squarer version.

Society secretary Caroline Ockwell said: "Not only is it a pleasure to work with other community groups like Active Art, but the end result is spectacular. These paintings are really going to make an impact when we take them out with us, and they will also have pride of place at our festival in November.

"Alfred did a little bit of painting himself, before he gave it up to take up writing, so I'm certain he would have been impressed - not just with the paintings, but with the whole idea of Active Art.

"A big thank-you to everybody in the group."

Active Art meets two mornings a week to give disabled people in Swindon the chance to take part in and learn about art, and is led by Andy Collier, a retired police officer. Andy and his volunteers work closely with Living Options, which is a managed unit of cerebral palsy charity Scope, and New Dimensions, which is concerned with providing therapeutic opportunites for people with mental health problems.

They are always grateful for volunteers, so if you think you might like to help, please phone Andy Collier on 07979 454441 for further information.

The pictures below show Valerie Abbley presenting one of the paintings to Caroline Ockwell, and members of the group handing over the other. Our thanks to Keely Everson who kindly took the photos.

These pictures show work in process, with Valerie Abbley, Paul Hill and Andy Collier:

Paintings get their first airing

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