Three painters will be hosting an exhibition and film on their expedition to Nepal at Summerleaze Gallery in East Knoyle on November 26 and 27 to raise money for Mere based charity, Seeds4Success.

Patrick Cullen, Tobit Roche and Tim Scott Bolton, from East Knoyle, spent three weeks painting in the Annapurna region, climbing over the Thorong La Pass, and creating dramatic and atmospheric depictions of the Himalayan mountains. Filmmaker Jack Hextall who was brought up at Baverstock joined them and has made a beautiful and poignant film of the expedition.

Tim said: “Things started badly; luggage lost by the airline with some of the painting gear and a colossal storm which closed the Pokhara road just after they had left Kathmandu. Beshishahar was reached 24 hours late and the baggage didn’t arrive until the next day.

“The ever-smiling guide Yam reacted to these frustrations with the greatest of calm.

He arranged jeeps, accommodation and porters where necessary, constantly adjusting plans to fit with the painters’ need.  On reaching Dharapani the landscape was revealed, and above the fine old fir forests Manaslu’s lofty peak dominated in the east. A productive painting session was followed by a hearty supper of Dal Baat washed down by some strong home distilled spirit in the smoke filled kitchen of a remote and delightfully unsophisticated guesthouse.”

The painters captured vivid and exciting paintings in mountainous, ancient and wonder-fuelled villages including Pisang, Braka, Gangapurna and Manang.

Tim said: “After (Manang) there are no roads and the climbing gets serious via Yak Kharta and Thorong Phedi. There were exceptional snows and rumours abounded about the pass being closed.

“A few years before a large number of trekkers and porters had died on the pass with a change of weather and the authorities were jittery. From Thorong Phedi the track, then snowbound, seems to snake up a near vertical slope.

At four in the morning the sight of other trekkers with their twinkling head torches high above is somewhat daunting but almost mechanically one foot was put before the other, the crampons digging into the snow, and some two hours later as the sun rose in a clear blue sky a welcome cuppa was taken at the upper camp (High Camp). Thereafter the climbing is easier and the scenery inspirational: a vast bowl of high snow-covered peaks. The pass itself at 5416 metres was reached at about midday and the skies remained clear all day.”

The film was premiered at the Royal Geographical Society in September.

The exhibition runs between November 26 and December 3.

A reception and film showing will be held on Friday, November 26 and Saturday 27, 6-8 pm.

Proceeds from the film and a proportion of picture sales will go to Seeds4Success, the charity which provides opportunities for personal and social development for young people in South West Wiltshire.