The Friends were formed in November 1999 to help raise funds to pay the rent of the room in the Queens Hall used as the Gallery.

Until then, the Gallery was only open to the public to view the exhibitions when the room was not hired out for other purposes. As a result of the increase in such bookings, exhibitions became more and more inaccessible to the public.

In order to justify the work of providing a regular programme of changing exhibitions, it was decided that the Gallery should always be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays when public access would be assured. Now Wednesdays have been included.

It was agreed with the Queens Hall Committee that an annual, fully commercial rent would be payable to compensate for the loss of other bookings on those days.