
This story is sponsored by Harrogate Art Fair.
More than 100 artists from all over the UK will be converging on Harrogate next month to exhibit their best work at the Harrogate Art Fair.
The event, on October 13-15 at the Yorkshire Event Centre on the Great Yorkshire Showground, will bring together painters, printmakers, photographers, sculptors, ceramicists and selected galleries from all over the UK, offering the best in British contemporary art. Prices range from £50 to £5,000.

The perfect place to immerse yourself in a world of art.
One of the most popular exhibitors is Jos Haigh. Jos is a painter based in Harrogate and Buckinghamshire whose vibrantly colourful pictures of African animals made her one of the best-selling artists at the inaugural Harrogate Art Fair last year. She said:
“I’ve been showing my art all around the country for years – at Windsor, Surrey, Manchester and Edinburgh – and Harrogate Art Fair really is one of the best. It’s fantastically organised, everything’s made very easy for exhibitors, and it attracts a lot of the UK’s best artists.
“When I came last year, people were so warm, enthusiastic and interested – I didn’t have to think twice about coming again.”
Although she was born in Goa, Jos’s art is inspired and informed by her childhood in Kenya. But her trips north have provided her with new sources of inspiration. So her most recent paintings include striking images of cows, owls and other British animals.

Jos has found inspiration for some of her latest works here in Yorkshire.
Jos’s spectacular painting of a red kite even features on this year’s general admission ticket. She said:
“I’ve been enchanted by animals ever since I saw them roaming right next to the road in Kenya, which is why I’ve always enjoyed painting pictures of elephants, giraffes and zebra. But there are so many wonderful animals right here in the UK that it would be a shame not to paint some of them.
“I just hope that visitors to the Harrogate Art Fair will love viewing them as much as I’ve loved painting them.”
Harrogate Art Fair is organised by Contemporary Art Fairs. The company also hold art fairs in Windsor and Surrey.
The fair will be open from private viewings from 6 to 9pm on Friday, October 13 (tickets: £15), and from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, October 14-15 (£8, concessions £6).
- Jos has have 10 complementary Harrogate Art Fair tickets to give away! She will send the code to the first 10 people to email her at joshaigh@yahoo.co.uk
Find out more:
You can book tickets for this event online at the Harrogate Art Fair website.
For information about exhibiting at the Harrogate Art Fair, visit the website or call 01753 591892.
You can also see more of the artworks on offer at Harrogate Art Fair on its Instagram page.
Business Breakfast: From apprentice to partner at Lithgow Perkins
It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm.
Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
Two new partners have been appointed at Harrogate accountancy firm Lithgow Perkins, a decade after they joined as apprentices.
Tom Rhodes joined the firm in 2012 after completing his A Levels at Rossett School, while Tom Lowry, a former student of St Aidan’s and Rossett schools, joined a year later after changing tack part way through a sports degree. Both progressed through their training and a series of demanding industry exams to become fully qualified chartered accountants in 2020 and 2018 respectively.
Their latest promotion will see them work alongside current partners to help develop the firm’s services and grow its client base. They will also help train the five apprentices currently at the firm.
Tom Rhodes said:
“We’re delighted to be recognised with this promotion which is the culmination of a lot of years of hard work. Lithgow Perkins is a great place to work and we’re very grateful for all the support we’ve had from everyone as we’ve developed our careers in accountancy.”
Tom Lowry added:
“Over the past ten years, we’ve been given some great opportunities to expand our knowledge and skills across all areas of accountancy, as well as developing the softer skills needed for client-facing work. We’re looking forward to helping strengthen and grow Lithgow Perkins for the future by taking a proactive and innovative approach that will add value for our clients.”
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Harrogate hotel’s art helps hospital charity
Harrogate’s Cedar Court Hotel has displayed two paintings by local artist Jos Haigh’s- both purchased from Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity‘s art event held in February.
The Exclusive Art Event took place at Cedar Court Hotel and raised in excess of £4,000 for HHCC.
The paintings, Falling (below pictured left) and Forever ( right) continue to raise money for the charity through a featured QR code that encourages guests to donate to HHCC.
All donations to HHCC go towards enhancing the facilities and environment for patients, their families and colleagues across the whole of the trust.
Wayne Topley, Managing Director at Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate said
“Cedar Court Harrogate was very proud to host the charity auction and very pleased to see such a positive response and turn out for the event.
“We went as hosts, but when we saw the quality of what was on offer at the event we soon became customers.”
“We refurbished our lounge last summer and still had left a couple of key spaces in the area for additional artwork, but up to that evening we had not been able to find the perfect fit.
“The quality of Jos Haigh’s collection of work and of course the opportunity to further support HHCC, made the entries into the auction for the two canvas’s a very easy decision.
“The two paintings ‘Falling’ and ‘Forever’ now sit very favourably in our lounge area, and we receive positive feedback on them daily.”

Local artist Jos Haigh will sell her work at a preview event to raise money for Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity.
The event, at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate on November 27, will showcase Ms Haigh’s vibrant wildlife art while also generating funds for the charity.
One hundred percent of the sale prices will go to the charity, which funds specialist equipment, training and services at Harrogate District Hospital outside what the NHS provides.
The charity recently funded colouring and art materials for patients at the hospital during the pandemic.
People who attend the preview event will have the opportunity to meet Ms Haigh, who lives in Harrogate and exhibits all over the country, as well as enjoy mince pies and mulled wine.
Christmas gifts and the charity’s newly launched 2021 calendar will also be on sale.
Ms Haigh told the Stray Ferret her works of art had been in a gallery in York for three weeks but lockdown had restricted viewings so she decided to donate them to the charity. She added:
“I chose to donate these paintings after the extremely tough year HDFT has had dealing with a global pandemic as well as the usual challenges that healthcare brings.
“I wanted to say a rainbow thank you to my local NHS trust for all it has done and continues to do.”
Read more:
- StrayArt with Johnny Messum: The significance of bronze
- Harrogate Hospital releases charity calendar
Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager at HHCC, said:
“We are so grateful for this incredible donation of paintings from Jos. They are beautiful and will brighten up people’s homes, even more so in the knowledge that they are supporting their local NHS.”
The preview evening is free to attend but tickets must but pre-booked. To get one, email hdft.hhcc@nhs.net.
If you can’t make the evening, Ms Haigh’s paintings are available to view and purchase here.