Rowen chooses Rochdale artist for Christmas card

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen has chosen a painting from celebrated Rochdale artist Geoff Butterworth for his Christmas card. Mr Rowen and his colleagues have reproduced nearly 50,000 cards with the beautiful painting featuring Rochdale's historic Town Hall. "A Christmas Morning" which features a "close up of Rochdale Town Hall, with the crisp snow outlining the shape through bare Winter trees" will arrive through every Rochdale resident's door over the next few weeks.

Mr Rowen said: "The painting is a wonderful example of Geoff's work and we're proud to be showcasing his work. As soon as I saw the painting I knew it would be ideal to put on our annual card. In the past we have used photos of the Town Hall and the original Co-op on Toad Lane. This year we thought that we would do something different and showcase one of our town's finest artists.

"I know that John Kay has worked with Geoff before to produce a Christmas Card for charity - we thought this was an excellent idea."