THE beauty of a North Yorkshire market town has been captured on film from the air by a drone commissioned by a local man who runs a promotional website.

Richmond Online receives about 800,000 hits a month – reaching more than £1m during the summer months – and is a hive of information for residents and tourists alike.

Andy Russell, who runs the website, said the idea was to create a film that would show off his town and hopefully attract a few more visitors.

He said: “I was speaking to Bedale-based photography company Vue 3 Sixty, who did the filming, because they work for some of my clients.

“I said I really wanted to get some aerial shots of Richmond for Richmond Online and they said they would do it.

“I had a very clear idea of how I wanted it to look – we followed the River Swale from Easby Abbey, over the Station, showing both bridges, Richmond Castle, Culloden Tower, the Market Place, Georgian Theatre, and other landmarks that are important to the town.

“It’s just a view that we never get to see and it looks stunning.”

The video is now available to see on Richmond Online, which Mr Russell set up in 1999 because he noticed there was no single website pulling together information about the town.

The website began in partnership between Richmond Town Council, Richmond Business and Tourism Association and the Richmond Partnership, but in 2007 the website was handed back Mr Russell’s company Moonburst in order to continue its development.

Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons assists Mr Russell with the website and watched the filming take place.

He said: “Andy wanted something spectacular to go on the website so decided to commission the film.

“They did the filming with the drone over a couple of days during the summer, which was really exciting to watch, and the result is just fantastic.”

Mr Russell said he spends a lot of time working on the website, which he runs alongside his business but it does not generate any cash.

“We do get some businesses advertising on the site so that covers some costs, but really I do it because I want to promote Richmond and give residents and tourists a platform to find out about events and places to go.

“Our accommodation page is the most popular section, followed by a guide to the town and the events listing page.

“I love Richmond, I’m proud of it and wanted to show it off – I hope people like the film and it encourages more people to come and see the town for themselves.”