The organisers of Art Fair Cheshire have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the event until May 2022. The biennial art fair takes place at Macclesfield Town Hall in support of East Cheshire Hospice. The decision has been taken because of the on-going uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic. The popular event had been scheduled to start at the end of September.
Co-chair Georgie Johnson said: “We’re disappointed to have to postpone the event but strict limits on numbers allowed in the Town Hall, along with rising Covid cases, means that we felt we had no choice. “We’ve had such generous support from sponsors this year and rather than risk that funding if the event were cancelled at the last minute, we’ve decided to re-book the event for May 26 until June 5 next year. “All of our participating artists are on board to take part again and we look forward to seeing everyone then.”
Visitors at the last Art Fair in 2019.
Art Fair Cheshire involves more than 80 artists, each of whom donates 40 per cent of the sales of their work to the Hospice. The event has been running for 22 years and is proud to support artists from all over the north west. The next event will feature a new gallery of emerging and recently-graduated artists as well as many artists from across the region and beyond. Local primary schools are also involved and have been busy designing sunflowers, which feature on the Hospice logo. These will be displayed as a huge wall of celebratory flowers when the event opens next year.
Sunflowers drawn by pupils at Alderley Edge School for Girls as part of a project to involve schools in the next Art Fair in May 2022
Two years ago the event raised £45,000 to provide funds for the Hospice’s art therapy unit. It has donated around £300,000 to the Hospice since 1999. To sign up to the Art Fair Cheshire newsletter, or for more information about events, talks and artists, visit www.artfaircheshire.org.uk. It is the latest fundraising event in aid of the Hospice to be delayed by the Covid crisis. The Hospice has already put back its Memory Miles walk at Adlington Hall from late August until Friday, March 25.