AYR’S largest charity art exhibition is set to launch its 24th year.

With almost 400 pieces for sale, the Annual Ayrshire Art Exhibition will be on for a total of four weeks, beginning on Sunday, October 22, at the Maclaurin Galleries at Rozelle Park.

It will be exhibiting the works of both top professionals and talented amateurs on sale to raise funds for Save the Children and will house around 400 works by 220 artists, offering a diverse range of art in both price and style to enthusiastic buyers.

This year’s artists includes well-known names such as Helen M Turner, Erni Upton FRSA, Ian Elliot DA and Michael G Clark PAI, who, along with the other featured artists will be donating 40 per cent of their proceeds to Save the Children, with some of them donating entire works.

This year’s raffle prize, ‘Snapshot from a Glasgow Train’ is by renowned Scottish artist, Fiona Graham. Her paintings, which feature Glasgow tenement buildings in magnificent moody colours, were voted as the most popular paintings on display at last year’s exhibition and she has kindly donated this evocative image, featuring the Glasgow streets she knows so well.

Robin Anderson, chairman of the Save the Children Ayr Committee, said: “We have some real treasures amongst the works this year, it’s a varied and eclectic exhibition by both respected and renowned artists, as well as emerging new talent. We’re sure we’ll have something to suit all tastes and most pockets.

“Excitingly, this is the first year that we’ll have ‘Cameo Cards’ – postcard sized original works on sale for a great price, we expect them to be very popular.

“We would like to thank local businesses, Frazer Coogans Solicitors and Sinclair Scott Chartered Accountants for sponsoring the exhibition again and allowing us to continue running this special event.”

Morag Smith, Save the Children’s community manager for the West of Scotland, added: “The exhibition is such a highlight of our fundraising calendar and I’m always impressed by just how affordable some of these impressive works are. We’re very lucky to have so many prolific artists involved each year.

“It’s also a great family day out, with children’s competitions and quizzes and an adventure playground in the grounds, so we hope people will drop in during Autumnal walks in the lovely grounds and find themselves a treasure or two”.

Admission and parking at the event is free, and refreshments are available in the gallery’s coffee shop.

Opening hours are 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 4.30pm on Sundays.