Welcome to the Friends of the Rydings.
The Friends of the Rydings was founded in 2001 to help support the development and continued operation of the Smith Art Gallery, Brighouse Library, the War Memorial, and Rydings Park.
The Friends of the Rydings was founded in 2001 to help support the development and continued operation of the Smith Art Gallery, Brighouse Library, the War Memorial, and Rydings Park.
The Friends of the Rydings members are a small voluntary group.
We hold speaker events on the last Saturday of each month. Our speakers present on a wide range of interesting topics. Talks usually last for about an hour. We serve refreshments from 1.30 in the first floor committee room. There is no charge for these events and you do not have to be a member to join us. You can find out about our speaker events on the events tab.
We hold a craft fair each year in the Smith Gallery. This is an opportunity to see the work of local crafts people and purchase gifts from a wide range of stalls. Anyone wishing to rent a table for our next craft fair should use the email link on our Contact Us page.
We support the library by providing funds for different projects. You can find out more, about the support we have given, in our newsletters.
About Us
Friends of the Rydings are organising another craft fair in the Smith Art Gallery on Saturday 4th October 2025, 10.30 to 2.30. There is no charge for entry so please come along and support us.
Our craft fair is supported by a wide range local exhibitors and offers you the opportunity to pick up unique gifts and get ahead with your Christmas planning.
For information on how to book a table, please click on the more details link.
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We are excited to present an evening of modern country music on Friday August 8th – 7pm to 9pm.
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Here are the latest details of our next year’s speaker events.
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The Friends of the Rydings will hold their AGM at 12.30 pm.
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Roger Davies will present a talk based on his current exhibition Welcome to Calderdale.
More DetailsRead through our latest newsletters:
There are some art works that have a hold over the public imagination. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper is one of those.
Pat Lee, a volunteer with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance service for 17 years, gave us a very interesting presentation on the work of the service.
Friends of the Rydings were pleased to welcome Roger Davies as their speaker for their April event.
The Friends of the Rydings was founded to ensure the continued development and preservation of the Rydings building and its surroundings. The Friends of the Rydings was founded to ensure the continued development and preservation of the Rydings building and its surroundings. The Friends of the Rydings was founded to ensure the continued development and preservation of the Rydings building and its surroundings.
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