THE team behind Skipton's Yarndale Festival is celebrating after picking up a top industry award.

The weekend-long annual festival of yarn and woolly creativity, held at Skipton Auction Mart, has been named 'best yarn show or event' in the 2023 Yarn Industry Awards, presented by CraftWorld.

Yarndale, which champions all things woolly, has been taking place every year at the auction mart, of Gargrave Road, since September 2013 under the continued stewardship of organisers Kate Beard and Emma Sandoe.

The show, which features an extensive mix of exhibitors, tutors and speakers, as well as its year-round creative workshops and crafting opportunities, is designed to encourage everyone to get creative with yarn, to share ideas, to inspire individual creativity and to get enthused by new project possibilities.

Every year it attracts thousands of people from both the UK and abroad,with last year's event seeing people from Namibia, Australia, Ukraine and the Netherlands.

Kate Beard said: “Emma and I are over the moon that Yarndale has won Best Yarn Show or Event at the inaugural Yarn Industry Awards.

"We’re passionate about sharing our love of yarn and it is wonderful that the show has been recognised at such a high level. It is particularly special as the winners have been nominated and determined by members of the public and the readers of Knit Now/Crochet Now and CraftWorld.

“We’d really like to thank everyone who has voted for us and supported us over the past twelve years, as well as all our exhibitors, contributors and volunteers without whom the show would not be possible. We’re really looking forward to being back at Skipton Auction Mart for Yarndale 2024.”

Chris Cooke, business development manager at awards’ organisers Practical Publishing said: “Congratulations to the Yarndale team on this outstanding achievement. Their dedication, creativity and passion for yarn have truly shone through and we are delighted to recognise their excellence in the industry.”

Yarndale 2024 will take place on September 28 and September 29 September. Tickets are available to buy at: www.yarndale.co.uk.

Yarndale is welcoming applications from emerging fibre artists or makers to its Start Up Bursary scheme which will award the successful recipient a single stand at this year's event. 
The bursary was introduced in 2022 to help new creative businesses experience exhibiting at a large show and to give them the opportunity to showcase their products.
It is supported by regular exhibitor Amanda Bloom of crochet subscription service, Cosy Life Boxes, in memory of her daughter Jenny Machin who died in 2017. 
Organisers Kate Beard and Emma Sandoe are welcoming submissions from anyone working in any discipline with a connection to wool or natural fibres and are particularly interested in applications from currently under-represented groups. Applicants should be new to Yarndale and based in the north of England. 
The deadline is March 31. For more details about the bursary scheme and how to apply, go to: www.yarndale.co.uk/yarndale-start-up-bursary.