Rural Arts

Rural Arts is situated in the historic Thirsk Town Centre, in the heart of Herriot Country. It is a registered charity that helps deliver creative opportunities to connect communities together. Through working over 3,500 square miles of North Yorkshire, its vision is to bring more creativity in every community.

This charity provides hundreds of events and activities every year at their wonderful arts centre, The Courthouse in Thirsk. The Courthouse also includes an award-winning café, an artisan shop and rooms to hire. Rural Arts programmes 70 professional performances during the year through its rural touring scheme called ON Tour. ON Tour works with hundreds of volunteers to bring live performances to communities in North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley.

Rural Arts was founded in 1993 and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. The charity also leads a variety of wellbeing and training programmes in the county, supporting people who are isolated and vulnerable. It has special projects to support the older generation, and those unable to access education, employment or training. Rural Arts is a lead partner of North Yorkshire Together.

With Rural Arts being situated next to the town centre of Thirsk, guests to this business can also visit the local shops/restaurants in the area. They can also visit all the local attractions that James Herriot would have stepped foot in, as well as places like the Thirsk Museum – or an even bigger museum being The World of James Herriot where Sir Alfred Wight once lived.