ALBERT HURST was probably Darwen's best-known artist of the post-war years.

I met him a few times and always found him to be a charming old boy.

He was painting well into his 80s and was 91 when he died in Thorncliffe Nursing Home, Astley Bank, seven years ago.

Now, what was probably Albert's last painting is going up for sale; the last of a very long line of delicate water colours stretching back to before the Second World War.

It is a painting of Thorncliffe, once the home of Liberal MP and solicitor Frederick George Hindle who played such an important part in the early history of Darwen.

The painting will be one of about a dozen in the second sale of work from Albert and his friends and former colleagues such as Donald Barnes, Tom Boyle and Ron Duxbury in the Sunnyhurst Wood visitors' centre later this month.

Philip Old, who is organising the display on behalf of St Barnabas' Church, knew the painters through his father George Old, another Walpamur colleague for many years.

He told me: "Our first sale of paintings, donated by Albert's daughter Margaret, raised nearly a thousand pounds and we expect this new exhibition to do just as well."

Donald Barnes and Tom Boyle both looked in on the first display and Tom immediately donated several of his paintings.

The Thorncliffe watercolour was also donated by a local woman.

Says Philip, a retired schoolteacher: "We've had a lot of help in staging these displays and we are expecting at least two more by the end of the year. So many folk have a painting by Albert on their walls and he seems as popular now as ever. It's all very exciting."

Albert Hurst was a real character as well as being an exceptional artist. Before and during the war he worked on camouflage for the government and became one of the country's leading experts.

He was often flown around the country in a Lancaster bomber to personally inspect the work of his technical team at first hand and to check on how it could be further improved.

The second exhibition and sale - sealed bids will again be invited - will have a mix of paintings by the group and is expected to get under way next week at the centre which is now open Thursday through Sunday.