THE Harrogate Convention Centre is opening its doors for the return of the Country Living Christmas Fair.

From December 5 to 9 the pages of the Country Living magazine will be brought to life as visitors can enjoy the full Christmas experience with craft workshops, cooking demonstrations in the Country Living Kitchen and a French bistro set up in the Royal Hall. The festive fair will also be home to handmade gifts, decorations and locally sourced food and drink.

With the show welcoming over 350 exhibitors, over two thirds are Yorkshire-based businesses, including Ilkley-based Linda Mellin Art, a Yorkshire landscape artist who set up the business in 2017 after years working on the family farm. She is exhibiting at the fair for the first time this year.

Linda said: “I’m incredibly honoured to be exhibiting at the Country Living Christmas Fair this year. After attending the fair on many occasions, it’s always been a real ambition to have a stall there.

“After rekindling my passion for painting a few years ago, I was delighted to win Yorkshire Life’s Landscape Artist of the Year and exhibiting at the fair this year is a dream come true.

“I’ll be showcasing many of my townscape, landscape and animal pieces, including Christmas scenes of Yorkshire.”

With the event championing best of British small businesses, other exhibitors include Ferriby-based handmade clay jewellery brand Silver Q, which is run and made by Sue Bond and locally distilled gin firm Whitby Distillery run by couple Jess Slater and Luke Pentith.

Guests at the Christmas spectacle can also join in the festivities at the Viking Cruises Champagne Bar or upgrading to the Country Living Luxe VIP tickets which include a luxury gift hamper worth over £200.

Harrogate Convention Director, Paula Lorimer, said: “After seven years with us the whole town now looks forward to the Country Living Christmas Fair. It’s a high-quality event which has become synonymous with Harrogate.

“It’s phenomenal to see the increasing popularity of the event in its eighth year and you can feel the excitement around the Convention Centre and in the town. I definitely believe its success is down to the brilliant range of activities and products at the fair.”

As part of the four-day extravaganza, the Country Living Kitchen, sponsored by Stoves, brings together some of the nation’s finest food and drink producers for visitors to indulge in. If guests are feeling crafty, there are many sustainability-themed creative workshops.

Advanced tickets to the fair are £19 for adults, VIP packages and all other ticket options and further information can be found at www.countrylivingfair.com