THE brush strokes of artist Shirley Smith are once again adorning a calendar reflecting Baldock and its surrounding villages. Her watercolours have been produced on Baldock Town Twinning Association s (BTTA) calendar for 2010 with the money raised goin

THE brush strokes of artist Shirley Smith are once again adorning a calendar reflecting Baldock and its surrounding villages.

Her watercolours have been produced on Baldock Town Twinning Association's (BTTA) calendar for 2010 with the money raised going towards the cost of entertaining visitors from the French town of Sanvignes-les-Mines, one of two towns twinned with Baldock, when they visit next year.

The calendar is are proving very popular and the 500 that have been published are on sale at �5 each in many pubs and shops around the town as well as the community centre and library.

"Once again Shirley has done a wonderful job painting the pictures for our calendar that reflect not only our town but the wonderful villages and countryside surrounding Baldock," said BTTA secretary Paul Luckett.

Mrs Smith, a widow who lives in North Road, Baldock, did not take up painting until she was 69. Now 76 she gets great enjoyment from her work which is all done for charity.

"It all started back in 2001 when I went to a talk at the Baldock Society about wet on wet painting and I thought I would have a go and have loved painting ever since," said Mrs Smith, who has given a number of her painting's to St Mary's Church that will be auctioned to raise funds for the tower restoration appeal.

"I have a big splurge painting in June and July. This is the eighth time I have produced paintings for the Baldock calendar and hopefully I will be able to produce many more.

"I have painted many of the sites in Baldock so this time I went out into the surrounding countryside and captured the windmill at Cromer, the watermill at Stotfold and Radwell Lake, places Baldock people know so well.