An ambitious initiative to launch a mobile, multi-purpose community hub on the Wensleydale Railway is on track for completion this Summer.
Work is progressing well on converting a former British Rail carriage into a versatile community space.
Volunteers from the Leeming Bar Residents’ Association are doing the work. When complete, the hub will be used for a wide range of activities such as meetings, a mini-cinema, café, youth centre or mini-library. It will also be available to hire for private parties.
Facilities will include seating for 30, a fully equipped kitchen, a smart TV projector and motorised screen, Wi-Fi and a disabled access toilet.
The £50,000 project has been made possible with support from the National Lottery, North Yorkshire County Council’s Stronger Communities Fund and two Leeming Bar-based businesses - food group ABP Wessex and ice cream manufacturer Froneri (formerly R&R) – who have made significant donations.
The project was launched in 2015 by Richmond MP Rishi Sunak and he recently visited the carriage at Leeming Bar station to view progress and talk to some of the volunteers who have so far contributed 4,000 man-hours.
He paid tribute to their enthusiasm and skill saying: “This is a really innovative community initiative and I was delighted to see the great progress they have made to date. It is good to see funding come from the county council, the Lottery and Leeming Bar businesses and I look forward to seeing the completed project.”
Rab Hastie, chair of LBRA said: “On behalf of the Association, we are extremely grateful to our sponsors, the local council and the good will of local business for their generous support and encouragement.”
Richard Moore, the project’s manager, said: “Our aim is that the completed carriage will provide state-of-the-art facilities for Leeming Bar as a centre for village life and drop-in centre.
“In addition, it can act as a mobile meetings centre for communities throughout Wensleydale. We believe it will be unique in being able to fulfil all of its roles on the move.”
To help the LBRA get a better understanding as to how the public would like to use the carriage, local community groups and residents are being encouraged to see the work in progress at Leeming Bar station and complete a short survey which also puts them into a free draw for a new Kindle Fire.