The Chapel Arts gallery has been open in Cheltenham for almost two years now, and in that time the gallery has played host to a whole range of exhibitions.

The former chapel seats over 100 people and has rooms available for hire for all sorts of purposes, from meetings to parties. It was reopened as a space for the arts in February 2017 by Ian James, formerly of Martins Gallery.

Helen Evans works at the gallery and explains just how varied the assortment of exhibits and events has been over the last year and a half.

She said: “The chapel provides a really good arts space and over the last 18 months or so we’ve had everything from classical music recitals to urban art.

“This month we’ve had Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-operative in doing an exhibition and demonstrations.

“We have local schools coming in most Fridays for free concerts, and we’ve even got some jazz events coming up as our owner Ian loves jazz!”

The upcoming jazz programme at Chapel Arts will include performances from renowned saxophonists Jean Toussaint and Simon Spillett.

Chapel Arts won’t be slowing down for the festive period either. With more events planned, Helen is excited for what is set to come.

She continued: “December is going to be really busy for us here. We’ve got a great exhibition by local artist Rob Goldsmith starting soon.

“Rob paints lovely evocative landscapes of places like Cheltenham and Winchcombe, and it’ll feel really festive with his work in the gallery. He’s going to be our artist in residence, so he’ll be coming in on a few different dates to talk about his motivations and techniques.”

The gallery will also be welcoming the organisation “Watch This Space”, who will be hosting an artisan market from 5th to 10th December.

Helen said: “They will be bringing local artisan makers who will be selling a wide range of handcrafted gifts. Everything from illustrations, ceramics, wire sculptures and jewellery, to textiles and crochet.

“There will also be daily workshops making decorations, wreaths and gifts, so you can come along and have a go at making something special for Christmas yourself!”