VISITORS to a North Yorkshire arts centre will be full of the joys of spring when they see what's on offer for 2003.

Helmsley Arts Centre is going from strength to strength and spring promises to be the strongest season yet.

The Antiques Roadshow's Henry Sandon is attending for one night only in February to talk about his early career and also talk about pottery brought in by members of the audience.

Celebrated artist Edward Ardizzone, who was an official war artist, will be highlighted in April with a lecture and an exhibition.

For the music lover, Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, both of the Blues Band, also visit in April with an acoustic blues set.

Bill Jones, newly on the folk music scene, visits in February, and leading Russian virtuoso's Leonid Gorokhov and Nikolai Demidenko grace the centre in March.

But staff promise the theatre lover will not be left uncatered for.

Cats Eye Theatre, from Windermere, returns in March with a new hard-hitting comedy, and March sees the arrival of celebrated actor Colin George with his new one-man show.

The season kicks off with a touring production of the Alan Ayckbourn comedy Relatively Speaking.

The season will culminate with a performance of Martin Vander Weyers' debut play, Talent Night.

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets is lined up to get everything off to a flying start with five film showings, starting on January 8 at 7.30pm.

Updated: 12:12 Tuesday, December 31, 2002