HUNDREDS of visitors are expected to descend on Saltaire for an event which will showcase craft and design talent across a range of disciplines.

The Saltaire Inspired Makers Fair, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, has been growing in prestige since 2008 and now features some of the best design-led craft in the region.

The event, held in the Victoria Hall, forms part of the opening weekend of Saltaire Festival.

Lovers of contemporary craft and design will be able to explore individually-designed jewellery pieces, ceramics and glass, as well as interior and fashion textiles, hand-made furniture and original artist prints.

The Fair offers people chance to meet designer/makers and to buy or commission original pieces directly from them.

There will also be free demonstrations by exhibitors throughout the weekend and visitors will be able to discover more about the crafts of wirework, hand-loom weaving, glass bead lamp-work, and free-motion machine embroidery.

Samantha Pickard, event co-ordinator for the fair, said: "Competition for places at the September Makers Fair is always strong, and this year we’re delighted to present an exceptional range of exhibitors, some returning with new collections; others showing at Saltaire for the first time.

"There’s an emphasis on jewellery and textiles this year, but a good range of art forms nevertheless, with some really special, unusual treats."

The weekend also features Saltaire Open Gardens Sculpture Trail, created as a collaboration between Saltaire Inspired and Saltaire Festival.

Once again this will showcase sculpture, ceramics and glass by ten artists, specially selected to enhance the individual exterior spaces in which they are presented.

June Russell, chairman of trustees at Saltaire Inspired said: "Our ambition for the Makers Fair is to build its reputation for showing interesting, original work, to attract a growing following and to establish it as a major craft and design event in the region.

"We select for excellence, to bring in the best in the field, but try to ensure that a proportion of our exhibitors are new to the profession and/or are from our area.

"This year we have Bradford-based Salma Patel showing in the Sculpture Trail and we have made two places in the Fair available to graduates of Bradford College School of Arts & Media."

Saltaire Inspired has a vision to establish the World Heritage village as an internationally-recognised centre for the visual arts, inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the arts.

Saltaire Inspired Ltd was established in 2008 as a not-for-profit company and is now a registered charity. The organisation is managed by a voluntary board of directors and supported by a voluntary committee which between them provide the strategic and operational management of the event programme.