A COMMUNITY without its own village hall has created a new moveable central hub in the form of an old railway carriage.

Leeming Bar Community Hub, formerly the local residents’ association, is putting the finishing touches to a converted carriage that will be used by the village and beyond.

And North Yorkshire County Council chair Cllr Helen Swiers visited with colleagues to see the volunteers’ work and how they have been supported by the authority’s Stronger Communities programme, which helps communities to play a greater role in delivering services.

Cllr Swiers said: “This innovative project is a great credit to the huge efforts of a small, dedicated group of volunteers to provide an asset for the whole community.”

The suggestion to use an old carriage was made as the village is the base of the Wensleydale Railway.

A 1961 diesel unit was found and bought thanks to funding from ABP Wessex Foods and Froneri, formerly R & R Ice Cream. Renovation began in 2015.

The finished carriage will provide a mobile educational centre for all ages, a meeting place, a conference centre, a village hall, a small cinema/theatre, a café and cooking instruction centre, a mobile party and reception venue.

So far almost 6,000 hours been given to the project by the small group of volunteers.

The project has been supported by many businesses in the village as well as all local councils and voluntary and community sector groups.

The group’s partnership with the Wensleydale Railway means the carriage can operate within the railway infrastructure, with the intention that it will move up the line to Bedale and Leyburn, benefiting other communities.

It is soon to go into operation as a facility for all the community to use and enjoy and is now a registered charity.

Richard Moore, deputy chair of the charity trustees for Leeming Bar Community Hub, said: “We are now recruiting volunteers to help run it in a variety of roles.”

The county’s executive member for stronger communities, Cllr David Chance, said: “Leeming Bar Community Hub is an excellent example of the imagination, creativity and determination that can be found in our communities.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering at the hub should contact Kay Whittaker at kay74@hotmail.co.uk.