THE running of one of the most important historic sites in the Tees Valley is to be handed over to volunteers.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council will almost certainly stop running Gisborough Priory on behalf of English Heritage from April when the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) in the priory closes.

The council’s TIC in Redcar has already shut down and the Saltburn centre moved into the town’s library four years ago.

Good news for visitors is that entry to Gisborough Priory will be free from April when volunteers from the Gisborough Priory Project take over and the current £2 charge will be dropped.

A tourist information staff member currently employed at the priory will be redeployed as a ‘tourism ambassador’ at various points around the district, a move which has already happened in Redcar.

The Gisborough Priory Project is working on an agreement with English Heritage based on the idea that dedicated volunteers will staff the site. The group is currently looking for new volunteers to enable the priory and gardens to stay open as long as possible.

Ann Roe, secretary of Gisborough Priory Project, made a direct appeal for volunteers. She said, “To manage this successfully we need keen and reliable people, of all ages, to get involved and join our team.”

A spokeswoman for English Heritage stressed that overall responsibility for the site remained with the national organisation.

Cllr Olwyn Peters, Redcar and Cleveland Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said the arrangement comes as the council modernises its approach to tourist information.

Gisborough Priory is a ruined Augustinian priory founded in 1119 by Robert de Brus, an ancestor of the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce.

Find out about volunteering at gisboroughprioryproject.co.uk.