A new art gallery showcasing work by people in and around Saltaire will open to the public next week.

Angela Walmsley had hoped the gallery, at the Butterfly Rooms, Bingley Road, would be ready in time for the Saltaire Festival but she said she has pushed it through faster after receiving a huge amount of interest in the project.

“We were going to open in September, but when we put a call out for artists the response was so big and everyone showed so much interest we just thought let’s crack on with it,” she said.

There is an open evening, on Friday, July 30, from 7.30pm, showing Stitched, by Rachael Taylor, and a collection by Saltaire-based Louise Reynolds.

Miss Walmsley said: “We want to run workshops and get the community involved. I’ve got a few people who want to run them and I would be interested in hearing from people who would want to see specific workshops.”

Butterfly Rooms, which sells gifts and interior accessories in its ground floor shop, also wants to hear from anyone who can lead workshops in creative writing, film or photography.

Miss Walmsley said: “It’s important for artists to have an outlet. There is a need for people to show their work, and there are a lot of people interested in looking.”