A CHEDDAR artist who was inspired to paint for children while she was seriously ill in hospital will launch an exhibition next month. Mother-of-one Aileen Newton, aged 33, is holding the exhibition at The Cafe in Bath Street and The Galleries in The Cliff

A CHEDDAR artist who was inspired to paint for children while she was seriously ill in hospital will launch an exhibition next month.Mother-of-one Aileen Newton, aged 33, is holding the exhibition at The Cafe in Bath Street and The Galleries in The Cliffs with paintings based on the theme of staying safe. For the Children, About the Children includes paintings of youngsters negotiating a road using a zebra crossing and other safety messages.Aileen, who lives in Thynne Close in Draycott Park with her 18-month-old son Bryce and her fiancee, Keith Roberts, took the idea for the exhibition from a canvas she painted while in hospital with depression.Aileen said: "I was in hospital for a few months before I had my son. I started painting a canvas about safety, which is now hung in Bryce's room."Afterwards I thought about doing something to raise money for children, so I decided to run the exhibition and donate the proceeds to Children's Hospice South West (CHSW) in Wraxall and Chase Children's Hospice near Guildford in Surrey."If the exhibition, which starts on the first weekend in October, is successful Aileen hopes to take it to cafes and art galleries in Weston and Bristol. Aileen said: "When I was expecting, Chase sent me a letter about a baby who was seriously ill. I sent off some money and they wrote back a personal letter of thanks, which I thought was amazing. I also wanted to donate to a local children's hospice which is why I chose CHSW."Aileen and Keith are due to marry at St Andrew's Church, Cheddar, next June.