A PROJECT to breathe new life into a group of listed buildings in a Swaledale village has reached another milestone.
The Keld Resource Centre held a celebration event to mark the official opening of the top floor of the former Keld Literary Institute.
A crowd of villagers and supporters of the centre watched life-long Keld resident Ernest Whitehead cut a red ribbon on the steps of the Grade II-listed building.
Among the invited guests at the opening was the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Richmond, Rishi Sunak.
Since being elected MP for the area in 2015, he has followed the project’s progress closely.
He said: “It is tremendous that such a good, new use has been found to preserve these beautiful buildings.
“I commend all who have been involved in bringing them back into use by the local community and the many visitors to this part of the world.”
The Upper Room exhibition space will complement the Countryside and Heritage Centre, which opened in 2011.
It will be used for craft demonstrations, exhibitions and lectures, providing opportunities for visitors, residents and schoolchildren to learn about the area’s heritage.
The work was part-funded by two grants from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund, with the overall project costing £168,000.
The final phase of the regeneration project is to restore the former village school building. Dating from 1842, it ceased to be used as a school in 1971. It was used as a bunkhouse for a period before closure in 2001, since when it has fallen into disrepair.
After refurbishment it is hoped to use the old school – also Grade II listed - as accommodation for volunteers and a multi-purpose space for use by visitors to the village.