SALTAIRELIVE finishes its year of concerts with an appearance by BBC Radio 2’s folk singer of the year.

Bella Hardy is regarded as one of the most creative, prolific and original singers in the UK.

A spokesman said: “Her captivating voice inhabits her characters and spins her stories with an equal balance of strength and sensitivity.

“With fiddle in hand, she presents folk songs in the best tradition; not as antiquated museum pieces, but as relevant and very human artworks.”

Bella is touring the UK this month performing her own spellbinding songs intertwined with festive treats from her 2012 Christmas album Bright Morning Star.

Bella’s own songs range in subject matter from fairytales to working class history, via childhood nostalgia, myth, murder and the human condition.

Her latest Battleplan won universal critical acclaim, with The Sunday Times writing: “Stunning... there is an aura of sophistication that will win over listeners who never set foot in a folk club.”

Bella has been compared favourably with Kate Bush and Carole King. Support comes from The Midnight Watch.

The concert is at the Victoria Hall in Saltaire on December 16. Visit saltairelive.co.uk or call 01274 588614 to book tickets.