Funnyman Tim Vine officially opened an exhibition featuring 250 works by more than 50 local artists in Haslemere last Wednesday.

The comedian and actor did the honours as Haslemere Art Society launched its annual exhibition at Haslemere Museum, continuing an artistic tradition in the town stretching back more than 130 years.

Paintings and ceramics have filled two rooms of the museum for the exhibition, which showcases an eclectic mix of styles, subjects and media created by members of the society.

Much of the work is also available to buy, giving visitors the chance to take home an original piece created by a local artist.

The comedian used his opening speech to praise both the longevity of Haslemere Art Society and the human creativity represented by the hundreds of works on display.

“Haslemere obviously cares about its people because here is an art society that’s been around since 1894,” he said.

“Human beings have made these things. This is a world teaching us about AI and all that rubbish but we’ve got people here who have actually made things and given their hearts to them to produce them. Humanity, that’s what we’re in favour of, aren’t we, none of this AI rubbish.”

And it would hardly have been a Tim Vine appearance without one of his trademark one-liners.

“I was helping my mum with the computer and she said to me whenever I press that button it swears at me. I said to her that’s the cursor,” he joked.

The annual exhibition is one of the biggest events in Haslemere Art Society’s calendar and this year brings together 250 pieces produced by more than 50 artists from the local area.

It continues a tradition which began when the society was founded in 1894, making it a fixture of Haslemere’s cultural life for 132 years.

All members of the society are able to submit work for the annual exhibition, resulting in a wide variety of approaches and styles being represented rather than the show being confined to a particular type of artist or medium.

This year’s exhibition publicity features Once in Darkness, a painting by Sonya Vine which won the President’s Award at the society’s annual general meeting.

But the annual exhibition represents only part of the society’s activities.

Haslemere Art Society currently has around 80 to 90 members and is keen to encourage more people to become involved, whether they are professional artists, enthusiastic amateurs or simply enjoy picking up a paintbrush in their spare time.

Members have access to a year-round programme of workshops, artist demonstrations and opportunities to meet other people with an interest in art.

The society has a busy programme planned for the months ahead.

October will include a visit to the studio of local artist Wendy Richards, while November brings the popular “Three Painters Painting” event.

Events are staged at a variety of locations around Haslemere, including the museum, Hammer Hall and Haslemere Town Hall.

Haslemere Art Society’s Annual Exhibition runs at Haslemere Museum until Saturday, September 19.