A village has high hopes of preserving two out of three vital assets that seemed set to disappear.

People in Middleton Tyas, near Richmond, were unhappy about facing the loss of their shop and post office but were outraged when, in December, it became clear they could also lose the village's Memorial Hall.

The latter came under threat because North Yorkshire County Council plans for a new village school would rob the Memorial Hall of its most lucrative function; that of a dining hall for the pupils.

The new school means children will move out of the cramped classrooms on the current site to a new site where there will also be room for their own dining hall.

Trustees were concerned that the Memorial Hall, which was constructed in memory of people from the village who lost their lives fighting in the First World War, would no longer be viable without the school using it every day.

Possible solutions included selling the hall to a developer and using the money to invest in new facilities on the school grounds which could be used by both the school and the rest of the community.

However, consultation in the village indicated most people would resist the sale of the hall.

The Memorial Hall trustees have since been examining new ideas that could help to generate fresh income to cover the costs of the building's maintenance. And, as a result, its seems likely the village may soon have a new shop - based in the Memorial Hall storeroom.

Project spokeswoman Jill McMullon said: "It would mean we would have a shop as well as somewhere for meetings and so on.

"Most are thrilled and everyone is working together so we're hoping it will be a success.

"The idea is that the shop would be run by the community for the community, with other useful facilities under the same roof.''

The trustees will now lead the quest for grants to help to cover the costs of setting up the project. If all goes to plan, it is hoped the new shop could be open by summer next year.