Art has opened up a whole new world for a group of people with learning disabilities.

About 40 adults take part in regular sessions at Keighley Resource Centre in Oxford Street, Keighley.

And they are still basking in the praise they received when the best of their work went on show in an exhibition last autumn at Cliffe Castle in Keighley.

Sally Turner, assistant manager at the resource centre, said many visitors had been impressed by the high standard of work in the exhibition, called Ring of Bright Doughnuts.

Now she is hoping to stage another exhibition at a new venue being launched in Keighley called the Arts Factory.

"From the comments that we had it was a great success. It appealed to people because of the different styles that were included. There was something to appeal to most people," said Sally.

"We don't follow hard and fast rules. We don't worry about rules of perspective and things like that. We just roll up our sleeves and have a go at experiencing it. We tell them not to worry if they make a mistake and we get some wonderful things produced."

Works included in the Cliffe Castle exhibition were on sale and several hundred pounds' worth were snapped up by discerning admirers - some by the landlord of a pub who wanted pictures to hang in his pub.

Items on show included watercolours, collages and pictures drawn in felt-tip pen, with subject matter ranging from images of bloodhounds, buildings in Glasgow and Russian domes.

The art sessions are of great benefit to the adults who attend them, according to Sally.

"We have a lot of people who can't hear or talk and for them this is a good way of communicating," she said.

"It's a great way for them to be able to express themselves. For some people art is a large part of their lives and it is a part of the way they are now."

There is also a drama group at the centre and last year the artists helped to produce scenery and costumes for a production of The Wizard of Oz.

A new show called Journey To The Centre of the Earth, based on the story of a mining village, will be staged in the summer at Bingley Arts Centre and another production is also planned for the Millennium.

For more information about work at the resource centre, ring (01535) 602204.

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