A CLYDEBANK art group has revealed their first exhibition in four years is the final step on the road back to normality after almost folding due to Covid.

Christine Smith and her Faifley Art Group are putting on their "Still Painting After All These Years" display at the town hall for their first show since 2019.

The group – which has been running for 35 years – saw member numbers take a dive after the cornavirus lockdowns with Christine worried she may have to close the doors for good on the weekly meet-ups.

Clydebank Post: The group paints anything they wantThe group paints anything they want (Image: Tom Grant)

Last year, numbers had dropped to 15, meaning running the group wasn’t sustainable.

However, fast forward 12 months and the group is on an upward trajectory, with membership up to 25 and would-be joiners being placed on a waiting list due to the group’s Skypoint meeting place at full capacity.

Now, Christine believes the group is going from strength to strength with their gallery showing, which runs from October 5 to November 13.

Speaking exclusively to the Clydebank Post: “After all these years, it would have been a sad thing for the group to have to fold.

“So it really is great. There are a lot of younger members now.”

The age range of the group now goes from people in their fifties up to the oldest at 93 years, and Christine admits the name of the exhibition was their way of saying they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Clydebank Post: Visitors can buy the paintingsVisitors can buy the paintings (Image: Tom Grant)

Clydebank Post: The display will be at Clydebank Town Hall until NovemberThe display will be at Clydebank Town Hall until November (Image: Tom Grant)

“Thirty-five years is quite a long time for a community group to keep going,” she went on to say.

“So we just thought, well that would be a good, eye-catching thing to say.

“And basically, that we are still here after Covid.”

Before adding: “We have always produced quite a variety of different subject matter and different styles of paintings, so that’s continued, which is nice to see.

“It feels like, this exhibition is the last step on the road back to normality.

“This is the final piece of the jigsaw.”

The Still Painting After All These Years exhibition is in gallery five at Clydebank Town Hall and is free to attend.