THE North York Moors National Park has applied for more than £500,000 in grants towards a major revamp of the Moors Centre, at Danby.

The park announced the ambitious £900,000 scheme last year and has carried out a feasibility study. The project is still in its very early stages, but bids for a total of £582,000 have been submitted to Yorkshire Forward and a European fund.

Chris Leggett, head of support services at the authority, told the D&S Times: "The remaining money will come from a variety of sources - some from our own funds and some from other charitable trusts."

He stressed that the project depended on the bids being successful and planning permission being approved, but said the authority was hopeful of receiving the money required. The whole building, would be given a major refurbishment, car parking and access improved and more facilities for children added.

Mr Leggett said: "It will be a very significant project for us if it takes off. It will make a big difference to what we are able to offer visitors in the Danby area and to the north east corner of the national park.

"We hope that it could become a destination in itself, with people using it as a starting point for visits within the area."

The centre has a tea room, a permanent exhibition on the national park and is the starting point for a number of walks and trails. It is similar to the centre at Sutton Bank, but housed in a much older building.

Mr Leggett said if approval was given, work would be likely to start in October and be carried out over two years, outside the main tourist seasons.

Teesside wins

more students

APPLICATIONS for degree courses starting this autumn at the University of Teesside are up by 11.4pc - the largest percentage increase of any North-East universities.

A total of 8,833 applications have been received, compared with 7,957 at the same time last year. The Teesside figure is above the national average increase of 9.6pc.

Increases at Teesside were for design, up 41.7pc; electronic and electrical engineering, up 30.4pc; sociology, up 25.5pc; psychology, up 18.09pc; law, up 16.8pc; marketing and public relations, up 14.81pc and sport and exercise, up 14.3pc.