The new High Sheriff of Cumbria Christopher Holmes was guest of honour at an event held by The Arts Society Cumbria to mark its arrival into a new home.
The society, which draws members from all over north Cumbria, has moved to the Braithwaite Institute.
Chair Joyce Berry said: “We are delighted to welcome the High Sheriff of Cumbria in our new home at the Braithwaite Institute. By joining us here, the High Sheriff recognises that voluntary societies like ours make Cumbria a better place.
“We hope our new location on the A66 and proximity to Keswick will make it easy for visitors to join us.”
Mr Holmes began by conveying his best wishes for the new chapter in the life of the society. His mission, he said, was to work with local charities, some well-known, others that are below the radar. He was particularly interested in raising the aspirations of young people.
The programme continued with an illustrated talk by the art historian Dr David A Cross about the Cumbrian-born 18th century artist George Romney.
Dr Cross is the author of Romney’s biography A Striking Likeness and a winner of the Lakeland Book Award.
Romney, who was born in a modest family in Dalton-in-Furness, rose to become one of the most successful portrait artists of his time, rivalling Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. Today his pictures are admired all over the world in the most important museum collections.
After a celebration lunch, the society held its AGM when Linda Ivison was elected to serve as the new chair. Before retirement, Linda worked as hotel and hospitality manager in the North of England. Originally from Edinburgh, she has lived in Cumbria for over 45 years.
She said: “My goals for the society are to continue to offer a diverse and engaging programme of lectures and visits to a larger audience.”
