MENSTON Art Group has held its first exhibition after a gap of two years.The newly renovated Kirklands Hall was a perfect setting for the high standard of work from all members of the group. They and their loyal supporters were happy to be back.

Menston Art exhibitions have been recognised in the past as a wonderful bi annual meeting place for the residents of Menston and the surrounding areas. Not only do the guests at the exhibitions see a fine display of the work of local artists, the group also presents a delightful selection of skilfully handmade greetings cards, candles, gift bags, quilling, cushions, felt-work, and beautiful jewellery. The diverse talents of the members were all displayed beautifully on the craft tables. It has been commented that hopefully soon more space can be found for a bigger display as so many members are producing enviably fine work.

Usually at Menston exhibitions guests can enjoy a welcome warm drink and homemade cake with their friends in the Kirklands cafe which has always been run by a team of volunteers. This time because of Covid restrictions this was not possible but exhibition secretary organised a local company Team of the Bean to prepare and serve drinks and light refreshments outside which proved successful and much appreciated.

The exhibition started on the Saturday- a record breaking day with enthusiastic guests selecting their favourite artworks and taking their selections home immediately. This was a departure from the usual ‘collect at the end of the exhibition’ system. The gaps left when the sold items were removed were refilled with more pictures from a special store. This was to avoid large crowds gathering at the end of the exhibition. For the same reason the ever popular raffle was not drawn at the end of the exhibition but on the first meeting after. Sunday was a quieter day but a steady stream of guests enjoyed viewing the pictures. Saturday had coincided with Menston Library’s sale of books - a happy bonus for guests.

The committee had organised several online competitions during lockdown which had proved very popular with members. The entries for these competitions were displayed in the hall giving those members of the public who had not seen the newspaper articles reporting them the opportunity to judge their quality. The three competitions generated a high standard of work with generous voucher prizes for the winners.

A Menston Art Group spokesperson said: “We were lucky in that our judges were all talented helpful professional artists who gave valuable feedback to the members involved.

“This year instead of the memorial table for members who have been lost in the past year a memorial book has been made. This gives a more permanent record of the members who have contributed to the welfare of the club in the past and examples of some of the work they have produced. It is hoped that this record will continue to be kept in the future thus continuing the history of Menston Art Club.The members and committee would like to thank all their visitors and supporters and to wish everyone a happy Christmas. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the next exhibition in May 2022.

“This year Menston Art Group is supporting Yorkshire Cancer Research with a percentage of their profits.”