FOREST MP Mark Harper picked up a paint brush as he officially opened a new business last Friday.

Mr Harper decorated a mug when he visited The Pottery Painter which is based at Newent Golf Club.

The new business, which hopes to benefit from the upsurge in interest in ceramics following the recent BBC television series The Great Pottery Throw-Down, is run by Maggie Brown, her parents Tom and Susan, and brother Ian.

Mr Harper said: “I’m keen to support anyone who is prepared to start a new business or try a new venture.

“That’s how we grow businesses and create jobs and opportunities.”

As a keen dog lover – he owns a Labrador called Darci – Mr Harper decided to paint a mug with a canine motif.

He added: “I’ve not been blessed with a huge amount of artistic talent but it was really straightforward and I had great instructions.”

The pottery painting takes place in the breakfast room at the golf club, although Maggie Brown said she plans to take it ‘on the road’ to community facilities.

The painting takes 24 hours to dry before the pottery is glazed and then fired in a kiln.

She said she had been to Stoke on a course to learn about glazing and firing pottery.

She said: “I’m interested in craft but I’m not particularly artistic.

“The beauty of it is that you don’t need to be massively artistic.”