A silent auction of a painting of Sidmouth will help raise money for research into new treatments for cancer.

The painting is a semi-abstract acrylic donated by the artist who produced it, George Hutchinson. George is a highly renowned local artist who has also worked in St Ives. HIs work can be found in galleries all over the country. He paints coastal scenes using bright, vivid colours to evoke happy memories of days at the seaside, and his Devon pictures include images of Budleigh Salterton and the Exe Estuary. He exhibited his work at Kennaway House earlier this year and received several commissions as a result, including one from Dubai.

The painting of Sidmouth that is up for auction depicts several recognisable features including Sidmouth’s distinctive red cliffs, Jacob’s Ladder and local buildings.

George has donated one of his paintings for the fundraising auction to the Sidmouth Cancer Research shop, of which he is a long-standing supporter, having volunteered there for 16 years. He said: "The cause is very dear to me because I have sadly lost 18 family members to cancer. I have always felt that the Cancer Research shop is an emporium of hope."

Bids for the silent auction of George’s painting are invited until 5pm on Saturday, October 23. To place a bid, call into the shop in Fore Street or email sidmouthshop@cancer.org.uk with contact details and the amount of the bid. The initiative is as part of the Stand Up to Cancer campaign being run nationally by Cancer Research UK, with events and TV shows. The campaign aims to speed up progress in life-saving cancer research by taking developments in the laboratory and accelerating them into new tests and treatments. The aim is for three out of four cancer patients to survive the illness by 2034.

Last month the Sidmouth singer and entertainer Mervyn Gratton performed 53 songs over three and a half hours in the Market Place to raise money for the Stand Up to Cancer campaign, and collected donations totalling 263.60. Sidmouth’s Cancer Research shop staff have thanked local residents for their support.