A retired lecturer and avid astronomer is using her creative streak to help raise funds for various groups and charities. 

And the talented artist. who has on-going health issues, is also finding that painting glassware and stones is bringing therapeutic benefits. 

Rode Heath resident, Majorie Somerville, who taught physics and astronomy at Sandbach School during her teaching career, began painting stones following a visit to America. 

Majorie at work painting glassware. (Photo: Nub News)

Majorie, from Heath Avenue said: "It was during a trip to America that I came across someone who painted stones and I got hooked." 

Now the self-taught artist in her 70s has transferred her creative skills onto glassware, putting lighting inside bottles, raising funds for various charities and organisations, raising between £3 and £10 for each item sold. 

Painted glassware all ready for this weekend's event. (Photo: Nub News)

"Art is the one thing I always failed at school," said Majorie, who has raised money for Rode Heath's project to put up a war memorial in the village. 

"It was during a trip to America that I came across someone who painted stones and I got hooked." 

Majorie started doing water colours on canvas then moving on to acrylics before realising she could use metallic acrylic paint for glass. 

"It's so much easier as if you make a mistake you can just wipe it off and start again," said Majorie. 

"I clean the bottles or glassware first soaking it in Milton before painting it and then finishing it off with a clear varnish." 

Majorie practises her hobby in her art studio in the garden and when she's running short of bottles, she puts out a plea on Facebook. 

"Sometimes there can be as many as 40 empty gin bottles left outside the front door for me to use," she added. 

"I can't use them if they have logos and writing on which is impossible to remove. I soak the bottles to get labels off." 

Majorie raised around £200 for the Rode Heath Memorial Fund and this weekend is hoping to raise more for another cause. 

"We're going to an event which is raising money for a hospice for children. The bottles and jars don't take very long to do. It's great fun." 

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Alsager Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

Please consider following Alsager Nub News on Facebook or Twitter

You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter here - it features the top five stories of the week