DIG, the Desalination Information Group, is continuing its campaign against proposals by South West Water to build a St Austell Bay desalination plant.

As part of the campaign, the group will be holding an Artists Against Desalination exhibition.

International artist Tony Foster is backing the exhibition and will be donating all the profits from sales of a signed and numbered limited edition print towards the campaign.

The print will be on display for the first time at the exhibition which will be staged at Gott Hall, Par Green, Par, and will also feature a number of local artists.

The event will take place on Friday, October 18, between 6pm and 8.30pm and on Saturday, October 19, from 10.30am to 4pm.

Tony Foster said: “For over 40 years I have been painting the world’s wild places. Of these, the underwater world is probably the least understood or explored. I believe the desalination project will be highly destructive of the bay’s fragile marine environment containing rare maerl beds and extensive seagrass… and damage our beautiful Cornish landscape.”

DIG organiser Deborah Hazeldean said: “We are absolutely delighted to have Tony’s support for our cause. The print is absolutely beautiful, highlighting just how precious and fragile the marine environment is. It is so important that the seabed in St Austell Bay is protected and preserved.”

The other artists taking part are passionate about supporting the campaign against the plans to install a desalination plant at Par.

Artist Linda Moffat said: “I’m proud to support the exhibition. DIG is fighting the ill-conceived plans of South West Water to build a desalination plant in St Austell Bay, which will not only fail to provide a viable water solution for the county but will wreck the thriving marine ecosystem in the bay. We all need to work to together to protect our beautiful environment.”

Justine Hambly, who creates collagraph prints, said: “My work is inspired by the landscapes around me, from coast to moorland. I live at Menabilly, swim and walk all around the bay. I love it.

“Protecting this precious place from the needless ravages of South West Water is vital, for our environment, and our community. My continued and wholehearted support goes to the Desalination Information Group.”

Entrance to the exhibition is free, with refreshments available for a donation. All money raised from art sales will be used by DIG to fund legal and other expenses.

In the meantime, DIG has welcomed Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s challenge to South West Water to justify it plans for desalination in St Austell Bay.

South West Water says the plant is needed to provide water security in the coming decades in the face of challenges posed by climate change.