A COMMUNITY art gallery run entirely by volunteers has celebrated its first birthday.

The 'Stone Space' in Church Lane, Leytonstone, was established by the Leytonstone Arts Trail group last October as a way of showcasing local talent.

Leytonstone artist and organiser Sarah Carpenter said it had been a very successful year with the site attracting an average of 70 visitors a week, despite it only being open during the afternoon every Thursday to Sunday.

She added: "The best thing about volunteering at the gallery is talking to the visitors about the work - and this gallery has shown the way to welcome visitors."

Artist Elizabeth Davies added: "We have established a really high expectation that the work we put on will be new, exciting and different each time.

"Moving forward we welcome new input to keep the gallery going on this track."

Located in the former Waltham Forest Direct council advice building, which closed last summer, the gallery has hosted 16 exhibits to date.

Organisers have what they describe as an informal agreement with the council to run the site indefinitely.

Visit thestonespace.wordpress.com/ for more on the gallery and information on its latest exhibits.