Art group host exhibition to raise money for Mary's Meals

Members of the Faifley Art Group have been in Clydebank Town Hall selling their artwork and giving all contributions to the charity Mary's Meals this month.

Josephine Torrance has been raising money for the organisation which supports setting up school feeding programmes in some of the world's poorest communities for over 10 years.

The gallery inside Clydebank Town Hall (Image: Newsquest) The charity which is based in Argyll began in 2002 and Josephine helps out every year with the group's exhibitions.

She said: "Mary's Meals feed nearly two and a half million children in 16 of the world's poorest countries. The children have to go to school in order to be fed so they are being fed and they're being educated.

"I used to go up to Dalmally, Argyll, where the charity started and we had a backpack project where families could donate old bags and put clothes, toothpaste etc.

"It's such a great cause."

Josephine crafts knitted teddies, as well as her painting, which takes her a week at a time and costs £19 the exact amount of money it would take to feed a child for a year.

Buying one knitted teddy can help feed a child for a year (Image: Newsquest) Along with the teddies she passes out a poem written in Scots that reads: "Of this bear, it can be truly sed -

"A hungry wean fur a year will be fed.

"Fur It's mair than a toy, an' its knitted wae joy.

"Fur the wurk o' the Marys Meals Shed."

Speaking about the exhibition which is in the town hall until December 7, Josephine added: "We've got quite a variety of paintings by some great artists.

"We have been doing this exhibition for maybe 20 years. I had a small exhibition years ago and I thought I would do it to help Mary’s Meals and then the art group joined and we have been doing it ever since.

"To anyone thinking of coming down, I would say just come."