Steven Lord looked justifiably proud as he welcomed visitors to the newly-refurbished Harrison Lord gallery in Bradford Road at the start of a prestigious exhibition – Best of Yorkshire Art.

It had been a long and often toruous journey to reach this point and the celebratory toast not only marked the opening of a stunning exhibition but also the sense of relief that went with it.

Steven Lord took over the running of the three-pronged business – photographic studio, picture framer and art gallery – two years ago.

His aim was to raise the profile of the business from a picture framer with a gallery to one of the best privately-owned showcases of art in the region.

"I think we've got there. We may not have been around as long as some of the others but our reputation is growing fast," says Steven.

Modestly, he puts this down to a business built on firm foundations and having the support of a skilled and dedicated team.

All of them – picture framers Malcolm Briggs, Chris Binns and David Woffindin, who also assists with marketing, sales staff Philip Barker and Frances Day, and photographic studio manager Juliette Gaffney– have a key role to play.

And they've all had to be at the top of their game to pull together the various strands of an opening event that was not without its problems.

"It's been just two weeks in the making which has involved the team working round the clock," said Steven.

"The opening event was due to be spread over two days but cancellations from guests affected by the weather last Friday meant that all our efforts had to be concentrated into just the one day."

Opening the exhibition, which featured the work of 16 Yorkshire artists, BBC TV "Look North" presenter Christa Ackroyd described the gallery as "a triumph".

"Even though I'm a regular visitor to Brighouse I was not familiar with the gallery until today. Another of the town's best-kept secrets!

"More people who believe Yorkshire starts and finishes with the likes of Leeds, Ripon and Harrogate should have their eyes opened."

She praised the work of the late Peter Brook who occupied a large section of the exhibition and whose talent was captured in song by local musician Roger Davies.

"He would have been one of the few people who would have revelled in the weather we've been having," said Christa.

The gallery had support from a number of artists whose work lined the walls, among them Rob Chappell, A.J. Callan, Kate Lycett, David Ellis, Adrienne French and Barry Pickersgill.

"Everyone involved contributed in making this a memorable occasion," said Steven.

Pictures by Bruce Fitzgerald and Stephen Firth