ILKLEY Arts weekend is happening on Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October - so put the date in the diary now!’

The 2018 Arts weekend will focus on two centres – Nell Bank Centre by the banks of the Wharfe and the new Ilkley Arts studio in the courtyard of the Manor House.

There will be a walking ‘ant’ trail linking to the two centres from Nell Bank to the Ilkley Gallery and visa versa. The walk will take approximately half an hour and a simple map is included in the leaflet about the weekend.

Nell Bank will be hosting an outdoor sculpture trail and a large exhibition space with around 20 artists exhibiting their work and demonstrations/workshops.

Food and drink will be available and lots of activities for children and families to enjoy. There is a small admission charge to Nell Bank of £2.50 per person (under twos are free) and there’s plenty of free parking.

Dan Goodey from Nell Bank said: “We are delighted to be running another event with Ilkley Arts and combining the art exhibits and demonstrations with a fun family day out. We’ll, have a range of activities for people of all ages to enjoy as well as food and drinks on offer. It will be a great weekend.”

There will be an exhibition and sale of beautiful local and regional artists’ work over the weekend and on Monday and Tuesday of the following week in the new Ilkley Arts studio. The studio is situated in one of the courtyard cottages at the Manor House.

“We are certain that this arts weekend will be another fantastic opportunity for Ilkley Arts to promote the creative talent of local and regional artists,” said Jeremy Lewis, an Ilkley Arts Trustee.

“We will be running the full Art Trail again in 2019,”added Sarah Thomas, chair of Ilkley Arts. “2018 has been an amazing year for Ilkley Arts with the move to the new arts hub in the courtyard of the Manor House and the creating of the new partnership with the Manor House Trust.

“This sets us up for a fascinating 2019 with lots to look forward to.”

In addition to this exciting weekend and following last year’s very successful Christmas Art and Gift Fair, Ilkley Arts will be running another event at the Manor House on Friday, November 30 in the evening and then Saturday and Sunday, December 1 and 2 from 10am – 5pm.

Keep watching for more information on this event over the coming months.

For more information about all the workshops on offer during the arts weekend and to register go to Nell Bank website http://Nellbank.com or go to Ilkley Arts website http://www.ilkleyarts.org.

Arts Weekend leaflets with more information about the two days are available from lots of shops, cafes and information centres in Ilkley.