AN art gallery will celebrate an astronomical phenomenon that marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year.

Rossendale's award-winning Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery will celebrate the Winter Solstice as part of a wider national participation event entitled Dusk, a wave of words across the UK.

The event will take place at The Whitaker as the sun sets, between 5.19pm and 6.02pm, which matches the astronomical time of dusk in Rossendale.

Around 12 chosen locations nationwide are taking part in the Dusk event, starting in Shetland at 4.53pm and finishing in Redruth in Cornwall at 6.21pm, with each event taking 40 to 50 minutes to complete.

Whitaker director, Carl Bell, said: “The Whitaker is thrilled to be one of only twelve locations taking part in this UK-wide initiative, and we’ve lined up a number of great artists for the event.

"The evening as a whole should prove the perfect kick-starter for the lead up to Christmas and New Year.”

The Whitaker will also present an informal and varied evening of live stories, poems and songs, celebrating the theme of Dusk.

The event will be British Sign Language interpreted, and the Whitaker’s café bar will be open for drinks as part of the early evening celebration.

The Winter Solstice event is free of charge and no booking is required, although guests can leave small donation towards the event's costs.