Two prominent Ayrshire professional firms are teaming up to sponsor one of Scotland's biggest charity art exhibitions.

Frazer Coogans Commercial Solicitors and Sinclair Scott Chartered Accountants have agreed to be joint sponsors of the annual Ayr Art Exhibition.

The exhibition, organised by Save the Children's fundraising volunteers, is held at The Maclaurin Art Gallery in Ayr, and has raised almost £500,000 in the two decades it's been running – enough to train more than 5,250 midwives or build 800 classrooms in poorer countries.

The exhibition, where original works of art are available to buy from as little as £60.00, has continued to grow every year, and what started as a four-day exhibition showcasing local artists' work in 1993 now runs for four weeks and is one of the highlights of the gallery's programme. Work from well-known Scottish artists, including Peter Howson, Helen Turner, Marie Aitken, Peter Foyle and Lin Pattullo, to name but a few, has been exhibited and sold in previous years.

A spokesperson for Save the Children said: "The exhibition has continued to grow every year and we're excited to be celebrating our 21st anniversary. It's become a really popular event and people travel from all over the country to attend and buy original art at an affordable price. We're extremely grateful to the artists who have been so generous by donating pieces from their collections over the years.

"We would also like to thank The Maclaurin Galleries for their continued support and assistance, without which, the exhibition would not be the successful event it is today".

The money raised from the exhibition goes towards helping vulnerable children around the world as well as in Scotland and across the UK.

In addition to the main exhibition, a raffle is held each year with the first prize being a painting donated by a celebrated artist. This year James Harrigan has donated a beautiful painting for the raffle, titled "Over to Ailsa Craig".

Frazer Coogans Commercial Solicitors' Managing Partner, Norman Geddes (left), commented: "We are delighted to take this opportunity to support such a worthy cause as Save the Children, and to be involved in such a memorable and enjoyable event".

Sinclair Scott Chartered Accountants partner, Andrew Sinclair, commented: "I cannot think of a more worthwhile charity to support. Save the Children Ayr and District Branch have an outstanding record of raising funds and everyone at Sinclair Scott is thrilled to assist them with their fundraising efforts. I am confident that the 2014 exhibition will be an outstanding success".