Skipton and Grassington Embroiderers’ Guilds have been awarded a community grant of £950 by Craven District Council for their StArt in the Dales project.

StArt – short for Stitched Art – is a community initiative to create a large piece of textile art depicting life in the Yorkshire Dales and the route of Le Grand Depart cycle race.

It will be made by members of Skipton and Grassington branches with the help of artist Jackie Lunn.

“We are delighted to be given this opportunity to work with Jackie Lunn on a piece to celebrate the Grand Depart,” said Skipton member Enid Pyrah. “We look forward to creating a lasting work of art with members of the community.”

Those interested in contributing their own individual stitches to the project can attend drop-in workshops at Skipton Town Hall on Saturdays, April 5 and 12 which will be open to all ages.

Other workshops will be offered to coincide with the exhibition of the final piece at local festivals.

The idea is to create a 3D map of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which will be made in felted wool and will be quilted onto a hand-painted calico background.

Key features of the map will be stitched separately and appliquéd onto the fabric. The map will be surrounded by a border of small squares, each depicting something that makes the Yorkshire Dales special.

The first workshop took place in Christ Church Hall, Skipton, when Guild members from Skipton and Grassington, assisted by Jackie, started to make the felted background for the hanging, which will be about one metre square.

Once the work is finished it will go on display at venues around the area, including Ingleton Overground Underground Festival, which runs from May 24 to 31, Grassington Festival from June 13 to 28 and Skipton Town Hall.

Guild members also have an exhibition of work in the museum foyer in Skipton Town Hall. It will run until May 2 and includes the Broughton Road Women’s Group story cloth which was made for the 2013 Puppet Festival.

For more information about how you can take part in StArt project, hear a talk from one of the contributing artists or borrow the final piece for exhibition, contact Claire Ketteman on 07904 010430.