News

What we do

We are here primarily, to provide exhibition space, entrepreneurial opportunity and education for local artists. The Gallery is run and staffed entirely by volunteers.

Submission Days

We will open to the public on 7th March 2026

If you wish to download membership forms and other sheets look on the menu for Joining us/Membership
Submission days are Saturday 7th and Saturday 14th February, 10am - 1pm
If you will miss collection or submission days and wish to join, email us at coartcentre@aol.co.uk and we can arrange a time to help you.

Joining

If you create original art or crafts in any way why not exhibit your work with us?

For a small yearly subscription, £35, your work can be on display in the Gallery and showcased on this website.

The subscription year runs from January to December but you can join at any time by calling in to the Gallery. You will need to fill in a membership form and pay the subscription by card as we no longer take cash except on our 2 submission days.

NEW MEMBERS You can submit work by emailing the Gallery and making an appointment. Please don't just turn up with work unless on our 2 submission days.

For more information about what to bring see all the information on the pages under Joining Us

Volunteering with us

Without volunteers it would be impossible to open the Gallery and their contribution is greatly appreciated. We are always looking for more people who would be prepared to give as little as one day a month to add to our list of custodians. Full training is given and a day or half day spent in our pleasant gallery, meeting visitors and selling artwork is very rewarding. Call in to the Gallery, telephone or email us if you are interested.

A blank rota (March–just before Christmas) is kept in the Gallery. Opening hours are 10.30am–4pm daily. Most days can be split into two shifts (10.30–1.15 or 1.15–4pm); Sundays are a single shift (1–4pm). Custodians sign up in person or by phone during opening hours. Some do full days, others half days. We’d love more members—and especially local people—to get involved.

Please note: the Gallery is reached via two staircases, and the toilet is down two flights of stairs. Custodians need to handle and wrap artwork and complete straightforward paperwork. Duties are light and mainly involve selling artwork. We don’t take cash; the card machine is easy to use. With work from nearly 150 artists, sales are carefully recorded using simple, well-tested systems.

Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided, and a small contribution towards travel or lunch is offered. A detailed handbook is supplied. We encourage custodians to chat with visitors, many of whom don’t realise we’re a charity—unique in the UK—founded to support local artists and just had our 50th anniversary.

The Gallery is entirely volunteer-run. While work isn’t selected, standards of craft and presentation are carefully managed. New custodians spend part of a morning and afternoon with an experienced custodian to see if it suits them—it should be enjoyable, not a chore.

Questions? Please ask via this website.