AN artisan Christmas craft fair in Redmire, due to take place this weekend until lockdown intervened, is now being staged at a later date but with strict anti-Covid measures in place.

Artists Dinah Francis and Carole Rutherford have brought together a rich mix of painters, spinners, knitters, quilters, jam-makers and woodworkers from all over the upper Dales to display and sell their work on Saturday, December 12, in the village hall in Redmire from 10am to 3pm.

“We are at pains to make the event Covid-safe with a one-way system, masks, hand sanitisers and of course plenty of social distancing. We’re keeping the doors open, so we’ll be bringing out our skiing gear to keep us warm,” says Dinah.

Carole’s glass fusion art will be on display, including unique Christmas decorations, and Dinah will be selling her much-loved watercolours and hand-made cards.

Gill Kopka from West Burton will be selling charity cards to raise money for the local food bank, plus prints of her watercolour and pencil painting, and selling craft kits for people to create their own work of art.

Pam Whittaker and friends who became a popular group in the Askrigg Foundation craft shop until last summer when they moved to the Chapel Gallery in Hawes, have a varied display of knitting, sewing, quilting and spinning. They will be joined by Richmond’s Julie Forbes with her sumptuous paper, card and crafting materials, and Liz Lambert of Askrigg with her high-quality ceramics.

From Redmire itself, in a gazebo in the car park, Fred Pails who lives next door to the village hall, will be taking orders for his sturdy wooden bird boxes, post boxes and garden planters, and David Clarke who runs the Old Town Hall bed and breakfast will be selling his home-made jams, marmalade, chopping boards and shelves for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.