Harefield Gazette

DIY revamp

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THE B&Q store in Yeading is being revamped to include a new home wares department.

The store in Glencoe Road will begin selling bedding, cookware, a new kids/nursery range and other home furnishing­s in addition to its traditiona­l DIY stock. Yeading was chosen for the new department alongside just four other stores in the UK. Gary Codd, store manager said, “More than half of all people in Yeading own their own home and like to redecorate regularly.

“Another 20% are renting where it is incredibly important to put your own stamp on the place that you live.” A YIEWSLEY man who quit his advertisin­g job to become an artist has filled his home with 700 paintings.

Steve Brooks, 56, has been treating visitors to his home in Whitehorn Avenue to his creations for 23 years, and this week put them on display to the public via a pop-up shop – ‘The Joy of Painting’ which he opened on Tuesday (June 30).

His temporary shop will be selling to the public until July 5 at 99 Morning Lane in Hackney (E9 6ND).

Steve does a lot of collaborat­ive work with his son Luke, a fashion designer who has created pieces commission­ed by Lady Gaga.

He said: “The works in the shop are all my own work, over the last 23 years, as a selection of everything I’ve done.

“But they’re predominan­tly more recent, around the last nine or 10 years.”

He told how he left his “pressurise­d” job in the city as Head of Art at an agency and took up painting.

“My life has been totally devoted to art for a long time, it’s fantastic. The only people who usually see or get my paintings are my friends, I let them have them for free.

“I have 700 paintings at mine and another 200 at my mum’s.

“I’m always worried, god forbid, what if the place would burn down?

“I believe God has given us all talents and we should use them.”

Steve, who has lived in the West Drayton area for 53 years, has previously exhibited in St Margaret’s Church, Uxbridge in 1995 and Hayes market in 1997. He had an desire for his work to be seen when he started out 23 years ago, but is now settled and just enjoys his work.

He said: “I think

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