AN ART-LOVING retirement home resident has dusted off his paintbrushes to run weekly art classes. 

Alan Hetherington, a keen painter and resident at The Anchorage retirement complex in Weymouth, runs arts and craft lessons for a group of ladies who live in the building. 

He said: “When I moved in here I was asked what my hobbies and interests were – I said I did art. I was asked by the ladies here if I could run a group. 

“I didn’t think it would last. Two years later, it’s still going.”

Mr Hetherington, who has been painting for over forty years, runs the class every Monday morning, and uses his creativity to come up with a weekly theme for the class.

He said: “A couple of the ladies had never done any drawing or painting before. A lot of people convince themselves they can’t do it, but if you give it a good go you can achieve something.” 

“Today we are brushing up on painting skies and clouds.”

Mr Hetherington moved to The Anchorage from London in June 2015, and started the art group in August that year.

Sybil Sheldon, another resident, asked Mr Hetherington to set up the group after they got talking as he moved in. 

She said: “It’s nice to mix with everybody and meet up. The painting itself is relaxing. We all get on and we all enjoy it.” 

Mavis O’Brien and Sue Jacobs, residents at The Anchorage, also join Ms Sheldon at the weekly group.

Mr Hetherington said the ladies' skills have really developed since the classes started. 

He said: "They have come on bounds. We can attempt bigger and more complicated paintings now. I've got to the point where I can really let them go on their own."

Mr Hetherington has a showcase of his paintings at Carthorse Creations on Crescent Street in Weymouth, a community space for local artists which was set up in November 2016. His work boasts detailed watercolour images of forestry and landscapes.