A MOTHER-OF-TWO is about to complete her project to bring a new arts venue to Bradford on Avon.

When Fiona Haser's gallery Ale and Porter Arts opens in Silver Street on September 25, there will be film showings, a children's club, life drawing classes, painting classes, musical events as well as exhibitions.

The films, shown by the Bradford on Avon Film Society, will be related to the exhibition and the artist behind the work will be on hand to give talks and demonstrations.

Ms Haser, 42, said: "It's going to be a really lovely venue for the whole of Bradford."

She had the idea for the centre, which will be run on a not-for-profit basis, before she took her two children, Alma, 15, and Oscar, 13, on a world tour in 2002.

She carried out a survey to gauge Bradfordians' opinions towards her idea. She got an overwhelmingly positive result and started work last September.

She said: "I am at a perfect time of my life because my children can be left on their own a bit and I am at the perfect age now to give really focused energy to a really big project."

Ms Haser bought the building from Avon Rubber in 1995, with her ex-husband, who now lives in Germany.

She said: "We bought this building off Avon and it was all grubby and dirty but perfect for what we wanted."

The three-storey building only had one entrance, leading directly onto busy Silver Street. Ms Haser said this put many people off buying it.

Since 1995 she has used it as a studio, where she works on pinhole camera photography surrounded by some of Bradford's other talented artists and designers and has added a second, safer, entrance to the gallery.

The centre's first exhibition, starting on September 25, is Happy Times and The Seaside Machine. Bradford artist Robert Race work, known for his driftwood creations, will bring the seaside to the town.

In the second exhibition, in November, Ale and Porter gallery will be transformed into a supermarket, with art filling the shelves and special Buy One Get One Free offers.

Ms Haser said: "We aim to make contemporary arts a high street commodity."

Ms Haser said the project had been hard work.

She is currently applying for charitable status for the arts centre.