THE Lightbox welcomed visitors for the first time in almost five months last week.

“It was wonderful to open our doors again,” Pru Shackley, operations director at the award-winning Woking gallery, said. “It has been lovely to see so many familiar faces return, including volunteers, members and visitors.

“We hugely appreciate the support this community gave our charity during the lockdown period, including generous donations which have helped us reopen stronger than ever.”

The gallery has reopened with measures in place toensure the safety of visitors, staff and volunteers.

“We have test-and-trace tracking for everyone that comes into the building,” Pru said, “with one-way flow routes and social distancing measures, and enhanced cleaning routines and hand-sanitiser stations throughout the building.

“There are Perspex screens and masks or visors for all staff and volunteers, and time slots and pre-booking for our two main gallery spaces, with a limited capacity for each slot. And there is social distancing in our café – Seasons – with flow routes and tables spaced 2m apart.”

The reopening was marked by a notable line-up of exhibitions.

In the Main Gallery, Redressing the Balance: Women Artists from The Ingram Collection (until 20 September) explores the ideas and narratives behind paintings, sculptures films and installations by female artists.

The Ingram Collection: The Art of Watercolour (until 4 October) considers the inspiration that artists have gained from working in the medium of watercolour, reflected through the work of Edward Burra, Ceri Richards and Eileen Agar in this Upper Gallery exhibition.

In the Art Fund Prize Gallery, portrait photographer Jo de Magneval captures this historic and challenging time through a series of photographs that celebrate families and the windows on their worlds. Stay Home Superheroes (until 27 September 2020) documents each family’s story.

Main and Upper Gallery exhibition entry costs £7.50, and Lightbox members and under-21s visit free. With gallery capacity limited, visitors are encouraged to pre-book specified times.

“We have had exhibition pre-bookings for every time slot,” Pru added. “New slots are released every Monday morning and can be booked at thelightbox.org.uk. We also accept walk-in bookings when there are spaces free, or you can drop in to our shop, café or ground-floor gallery at any time without booking.”

For more information about exhibitions, events and workshops, to pre-book tickets or to donate, visit www.thelightbox.org.uk or call 01483 737800. The Lightbox is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5pm, and Sunday 11am to 4pm.