AN arts centre in Otley is seeking new board members to help it continue to grow.

Now in its 11th year, Otley Courthouse has an annual turnover that is almost double what it started with in 2004.

The venue, run as an independent charity committed to providing arts and other facilities for residents, now also has more than 100 volunteers and the equivalent of four full-time staff.

So far the Courthouse’s development has been overseen by a board of between seven and nine people - but that is about to change.

Board chairman David Robson said: “With all of this growth and development we have decided that the time has come to seek additional members, taking the size of the board up to maybe 12 people.

“We would welcome anyone with a real interest in moving the Courthouse into its second decade.

“Experience in areas such as marketing, programming, finance and fundraising would be particularly useful, but we would be interested in talking to anyone who wishes to work as part of the Courthouse team.”

New ventures being introduced include a Monday morning Baby Cafe, featuring a Baby Cinema; outreach activities by West Yorkshire Playhouse and Opera North; screenings of Globe Theatre Shakespeare plays; and a variety of literature events.

The board meets once a month and its members usually do some house managing of events and take a particular interest in one or two areas.

Anyone interested in joining can arrange a meeting by sending an email to admin@otleycourthouse.org.uk.