AN EXPANDING arts trail event is bidding for charity status and thousands of pounds of funding from Ilkley Parish Council as it prepares to widen its activities to community art projects and exhibitions of work by students.

Ilkley Arts Trail took a year off in 2014, but plans to be back this October and has plans to extend the project outside of its usual week of exhibitions staged at venues around town each autumn, raising the profile of the visual arts in Ilkley throughout the year.

Now renamed Ilkley Arts, the organisation has applied to the Charity Commission to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and its application for more than £7,000 of funding from Ilkley Parish Council is due to be debated by councillors next month.

It has also formed a board of trustees, which it is hoped will make its activities sustainable well into the future.

Plans for the future include getting more members of the community involved by organising a community art project, plus workshops involving local schools, and exhibitions of university and college students’ artwork.

Set up in 2011, the trail has so far focused on local artists opening up their homes and studios to exhibit their work to the public, as well as pop-up exhibitions of local artists’ work appearing in venues around town, such as shop windows.

The aim is to showcase local artists’ work as well as enable more people to see art in settings other than an art gallery.

The art trail runs at the same time as Ilkley Literature Festival.

But Ilkley Arts director Lorna Bird believes new additions to the Ilkley Arts programme of events could bring more people in to Ilkley at other times of year too, as well as promoting art to residents.

She said: “We’re hoping to do a huge, huge event that will invite people in Ilkley the chance to participate in. This will be a really big event in 2016.”

Ilkley Arts is also seeking endorsements by various big names, and has already gained support from Jilly Cooper, a former resident, the Duke of Devonshire, presenter Kirsty Walk and Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity.

Kirsty said: “I am delighted to offer my support to Ilkley Art Trail in 2015. I have a great affection for Ilkley and visit as often as I can. The Art Trail is a great aim and one that I thoroughly endorse.

“It creates opportunities for everyone to easily access new and stimulating art in interesting and unusual venues other than traditional galleries in the town – it’s a magical event.”

The Ilkley Arts Trail attracted about 4,000 people in 2013, and achieved art sales for participating artists of £20,000, although exhibitions were free to visit.

The 2015 Art Trail take places from October 7 to 11. Visit ilkleyarttrail.co.uk for more details.