An artist’s painting of an iconic seaside scene from the Suffolk coast has been used as a wine label – and is helping to raise money for the RNLI.

Kirstie Blackbenz was asked to paint the picture by wine merchant Bryan Newnes, of the Suffolk-based independent shops Russell & Newnes, as he had always wanted to sell a wine with his own label.

She said: “It is a gift being able to paint, and it’s great to be able to give that back to your community.

“I was thrilled when Bryan asked me to paint an iconic Aldeburgh scene and wanted to include the North Tower, the old lifeboat station.

“Dogs always seem to arrive in my pictures and it was great to include George the labrador, who belongs to the coxswain of the lifeboat, and a local fisherman.

“I had changed to painting in oils and thought it would be hard to go back to acrylics but it was really fun.”

Ten per cent of the sales of the French red and white wine, along with 10% from sale of prints of the picture, will go to the RNLI, while the original painting will be auctioned with all the cash raised going to the charity. Prints are available from the wine shop in High Street, Aldeburgh, or the website artist-kirstieblackbenz.co.uk or the Seizmond Gallery, Saxmundham.