PAVILIONS of Harrogate held a party to remember after more than 100 guests attended its 21st birthday celebrations.

Guests included Lord Lieutenant for North Yorkshire Barry Dodd CBE, Harrogate MP Andrew Jones as well as local dignitaries, friends and supporters.

The iconic building opened in 1996 to host Royals and VIPs during the Great Yorkshire Show.

Events are now held there nearly every day of the year and to celebrate reaching its milestone, it has been given a new look with fresh branding and website.

Heather Parry, Managing Director, said: “The Pavilions of Harrogate is a very special place and we wanted to celebrate in style.

“Back in 1996, we aimed to host one social function a month in any of its 14 rooms, now we host at least two events a day.

From conferences to charity balls, funerals to award evenings, weddings and civil ceremonies – there’s always something going on somewhere and there’s never a dull moment!

“We wanted to say thank you to our supporters and if the next 21 years are anything like the last, we look forward to an exciting time ahead!”

At the celebration, over £6,000 was presented to Sheila O’Shea from the Yorkshire Cancer Centre which was raised during the Great Yorkshire Show.

The one-off fundraising bid was launched to thank the cancer centre for supporting a team member at Pavilions of Harrogate.

Also at the event were the winners of a 21st birthday card competition run by Pavilions of Harrogate to mark the occasion.

They were Emily Gee, 11, who designed the invitation and Olivia Hawksworth, 13, who designed the winning birthday card. Both are pupils at St. Aidan's Church of England High School in Harrogate.

And the evening saw the launch of a newly refurbished bandstand called the White Pavilion which has been upgraded with special flooring, electrics and paving to host outdoor weddings.