A West Dorset artist drew on her creative talents to help mark the 100th anniversary of the man who helped cracked the Enigma Code.

Maxime Xavier of Lyme Regis wanted to do her bit to make sure Alan Turing, pictured, gets the recognition he deserves by painting a life-sized portrait of him.

She says the National Portrait Gallery now wants to hang the work and that she has been contacted by Bletchley Park, which might want to show the painting.

But Maxime is disappointed that only three people who have seen the work in her Studio 19 in Lyme have any idea who Alan Turing was.

She said: “I wanted to paint him because he deserves far more recognition and gratitude than he receives now. He is the father of computers, so every time someone taps on the key board it is because of him.

“Also through his work at Bletchley Park he helped cracked the code of the German Enigma machine leading to an early end to World War II.”

Former Sherborne pupil Mr Turing was arrested after the war for homosexuality – which remained a criminal offence until the 1960s.

Maxime said: “He was given the choice of prison or female hormone pills, which was the equivalent to male chemical castration.

“He chose the latter, which sadly led to his suspected suicide that involved him eating an apple laced with cyanide at 41.”