CHEESE, ale and the perfect pudding for any roast – all of these are made in Yorkshire. Art, however, you may be forgiven from missing off the list.

A new exhibition in Thirsk is hoping to change this – or at least challenge it.

Rural Arts, a charity providing creative opportunities across the county, has curated a very special exhibition to celebrate homegrown artistic talent – and to coincide with the world’s most-watched sporting event coming to Yorkshire.

Gallery Manager Angela Holt, who curated the exhibition, said: “Two decades ago, if you said ‘cultural powerhouse’, no one thought Yorkshire - not many, anyway - they thought London, Glasgow, but now, Yorkshire’s taking first place."

“We have six national museums, Hockney in our galleries and Grayson Perry coming to visit. Independent venues like ourselves and the Kunsthuis in Crayke are thriving too, showing that people in Yorkshire are invested in, and will travel for, art.”

Angela said statistics from North Yorkshire County Council showed more people in the county were employed by arts and culture than in the financial and insurance industries.

One of the exhibitors, Charlotte Auger, is freshly graduated from York St. John University, is already making artwork far beyond her years – and she intends on staying put in the county.

Charlotte, who blows glass, is inspired by water and its natural formations and said she was excited to take part in her first professional exhibition.

"It’s such a great opportunity. To have work on display for over a month is an absolute dream, especially for someone just starting out," she added.

The collection celebrates cross-disciplinary artwork from across the county, with ceramics from Huddersfield, monochromes from Pickering – even the charity’s director, Angela Hall from Pilmoor, will be exhibiting.

To coincide with the exhibition – and the First Stage of Le Tour – Rural Arts is hosting a special pop-up arts market, showcasing local glass jewellery and woodwork, textiles and ceramics. The market is a one-day only event on the Saturday, July 5, and the exhibition runs until September 6 and entry is free.

For more information or tickets, visit www.ruralarts.org or call 01845 526 536.