A FORMER member of a UB40 breakaway band has commissioned a Peaky Blinders painting for his themed event to raise funds for a Boscombe homeless charity. 

Matt Hoy has commissioned the painting to raise funds for We Are Humans at his upcoming event in Birmingham on March 30. 

Created by artist Shany Hagan, the painting pictures the show's main character Thomas Shelby backdropped by industrial Birmingham.

She said: "I've helped Matt several times, donating my work to help him and I saw him advertise the Peaky Blinders event and I rang him and said, 'do you want some help?'.

"I had this image in my head of an classic painting with an industrial background of Birmingham with a smoky sense, giving it a ghostly picture to the painting."

Matt chose the Boscombe charity after a performance at Chaplin's Bar  last year which helped fundraise for We Are Humans. 

Since then, he has stayed in touch with Andrew Talbot, the founder of the charity, and hopes to raise enough money to help get people off the streets. 

Matt said: "Shany called me up and asked if I wanted her to do a painting and if I was doing anything for charity. I wasn't at the time because I was too busy focusing on getting it all together. But when she mentioned it, I thought it would be a wonderful idea.

"We Are Humans was the first charity that came to mind. Whatever we raise on the evening when we auction the painting will go straight down to them in Boscombe."

We Are Humans provides food and other essentials to those in financial hardship. 

Run by Andrew, who moved to Bournemouth when homeless himself, he believes the beach brings homeless to the area, evoking childhood memories.

He said: "All seaside towns have a problem with homeless people coming to them because your favourite place as a child was seaside holidays with your family. Everything was good and it's bright and sunny.

"We're serving 500 people every week with food, tents, sleeping bags and pods, basic survival foods to get you through to pay day."