Residents of Norton-on-Derwent are invited to be one of the artists featured in a new outdoor art gallery popping up in the town this autumn.

Local company Ryedale Creative has designed the project to highlight the creativity of people of all ages, and encourage visitors to the town.

Everyone who lives or works in Norton is invited to take part - you don’t need to be a professional artist.

Ryedale Creative ran a similar project during the covid pandemic, filling the village of Welburn with local people’s pictures, now it’s Norton’s turn to become the area’s newest artistic destination.

Any two-dimensional artwork can be submitted for consideration; this could be a painting, drawing, photograph or digital artwork. All styles and themes are welcome - potential artists just need to bear in mind that pictures will be publicly displayed to members of the community of all ages. The organisers hope to include as many artworks as possible, but may need to make a selection depending on numbers of pictures received.

Outdoor art will be printed on weatherproof board and displayed on lamp-posts and fences. Ryedale Creative are also looking for local businesses who would be willing to display artworks in their windows.

The trail will be temporary and will be in place during November, in partnership with the St Clement's Festival.

Di Keal, Mayor of Norton on Dewent, said: "This is an exciting project for Norton and a wonderful opportunity for local people to display their talents for everyone in the community to enjoy.

"It is really good news for the town that we are able to link up with the St Clement's Festival in Malton and I would encourage anyone who would like to submit a piece of their artwork to the street exhibition to do so, so we can really put Norton on the map this Autumn."

To get involved send a picture to hello@ryedalecreative.co.uk. Pictures need to be 300dpi, and a jpeg, pdf or tiff file. Please include your name, contact details including full postal address, and name of your artwork if it has one.

Alternatively, drop off your picture at Norton Town Council Office, The Old Court House, Commercial Street, Norton YO17 9ES, open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 12.30pm. (Please be aware that any artworks submitted in this way are at your own risk and we cannot take responsibility for any loss or damage.)

The deadline for submitting artworks is October 18 and the trail will be on display in mid November.

Local businesses who are interested in displaying artwork on their premises are encouraged to email hello@ryedalecreative.co.uk

The Norton Art Trail is part of a project funded by North Yorkshire Council to develop arts and culture in Ryedale.

Ryedale Creative are also running a series of training sessions designed to cascade skills and knowledge to the arts, creative and community sectors. The free sessions cover topics including Creative Producing Skills, Reaching Rural Communities, Fundraising and Evaluation and start on October 4. Further information is available online at https://bit.ly/m/ryedalecreative