A £150,000 scheme to create a community hub has received a major boost after landing a lottery grant.

Leaders of the project to refurbish a former late Victorian building off Trinity Lane in Ripon, in the grounds of St Wilfrid’s Roman Catholic Church, said it was hoped the revamped building would be available for some uses next year.

Parishioners and well-wishers have donated more than £10,000 to tackle a backlog of repairs, which has been completed, and applications are being made to grant-making bodies to raise the amount needed for a complete refurbishment.

Further initial work, which will see the provision of accessible facilities and a ramp, will be funded through a grant of just under £10,000, which was among nine North Yorkshire projects to receive a windfall from the National Lottery’s Awards for All scheme.

Later phases of work will include upgrading the heating, plumbing and electrics and equipping the centre with facilities, including modern toilets and a kitchen.

Bernadette Barnes, chairman of the St Wilfrid's Church steering group overseeing the project, said: "We are absolutely delighted that this grant application has been successful and thank the lottery for their very valuable support."

A project spokesman said while church members were organising the revamp, it was hoped the revamped building, which served the community for over a hundred years as a school and a nursery, would have a new life supporting a range of needs in the city.

He said while funding for voluntary groups was dropping, personal and social needs were increasing, and the centre would promote and supporting voluntary local action and benefit hundreds of people, of all ages.

He said: "It will serve not just our own parish, but the wider community in Ripon and make the building a vibrant multi-purpose hub.

"Our research has shown that in Ripon there is a shortage of places to provide services, such as counselling, as well as a shortage of activities for youths in Spa ward which has quite a lot of young people in it.

"We're also aware loneliness is a key issue in society and so we will be able to provide a place for people to meet.

"Its benefits from having a central location and off-street car parking and an outside space that other community hubs in the city don't have."

Donations may be given to St Wilfrid’s Church or through localgiving.com/stwilfridscommunitycentre.