AN ORIGINAL oil painting by Welsh artist Chris Langley is being auctioned to raise money for a a fund set up by an Abergavenny journalist who is taking part in a trek of the Inca Trail of Machu Picchu.

Journalist and copywriter Maria Williams, of Victoria Street, Abergavenny, will be among dozens of Welsh trekkers who will brave the Inca Trail to raise funds for Cancer Research Wales this September.

The trek will take place at altitudes of more than 4,200 metres, and participants will camp wild along the way.

At the end of the trail, they will see one of the wonders of the world, the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu.

As part of the fundraising trek which takes place, each participant has to raise £4,000.

The painting of a scene from Roath Park lake was created during a two-hour demonstration at Caerphilly Art Society at The Twyn community centre on January 23.

Members of Caerphilly Art Society made a tea-break collection during the demonstration for Ms Williams' fund, raising £37 on the night.

She said: “It’s a painting which would look wonderful on anyone’s wall.

“I had such a warm welcome at the Caerphilly Art Society and must thank them for listening to me speak about the important work Cancer Research Wales is doing.

“Their work on developing simple blood tests for cancers such as colon cancer is vital. Far too many people in Wales are being diagnosed at A&E and at a later stage of cancer than in England, for example.

“I’m doing the trek with a business colleague, Dawn Evans of Ajuda Training in Cardiff. Both of us have lost friends to cancer, and we’re passionate about helping to improve cancer detection rates in Wales.”

The work is being auctioned on the society’s Facebook page and all proceeds will go towards the Machu Picchu trek fund for Ms Williams, who as so far raised £650.

“I’ve had donations from clients, friends, and family, and I’ve been selling items at car boot sales to raise funds,” said Ms Williams, 50, a former news editor at the Argus.

Artist Mr Langley is known for his Welsh landscapes and colourful street scenes, along with impressive portraits.

He said: “It was such a pleasure to demonstrate to Caerphilly Art Society and it was great to see the room full of so many people.

Bids on the painting can be placed by visiting facebook.com/caerphillyartsociety/.

To donate to the fund, visit Maria’s Just Giving page at justgiving.com/fundraising/maria-williams17.

Ms Williams said she is happy to visit schools to run workshops or talk about her time in the media if they hold fundraising events such as non-uniform days for the Machu Picchu trek. Anyone interested can contact her on 07790 654274.

See more of Mr Langley's work at art4u.wales/.