A VILLAGE library has celebrated its sixth year as a volunteer-led service that continues to expand both its services and the building.

Great Ayton Discovery Centre, as the library is now known, has proved to be a sustainable facility, giving its trustees confidence to develop it further in the coming months.

It costs £87,000 a year to keep the Centre open. Residents voted for an increase in the parish precept which pays for a librarian who is assisted by a rota of local volunteers.

Chairman of its trustees, Ken Taylor, told those present at its Annual Meeting that they had experienced another successful year in which significant progress had been made in making the building larger and the space more flexible.

The extension of the library - using the passage way between the library and the cafe next door - is expected to be completed next month in time to be officially opened in October by local MP Rishi Sunak.

Much of the necessary work has been paid for using a grant of £85,000 from the LEADER fund (EU funds administered by North Yorkshire Council).

A meeting will be held shortly to determine which of the Centre's many services will be housed in the new part of the one-time school building. The village's Tourist Information Centre has been operating an interim service from there since April, having moved into the more central location from its previous home of a cabin in the car park, but will be able to expand once more room becomes available.

We will be looking forward to the extra space come September," said Mr Taylor. "We just have to ensure it is used to best effect."

The library's car park has been closed during the building work but, once re-opened, will benefit from extra CCTV coverage which, together with the removal of the steps up to the arcade, which are in a dangerous condition, it is hoped will deter unruly behaviour that has previously taken place in the area.

The Discovery Centre's sixth year has not all been about construction though. Art workshops run by James McGairey have been a great success and there are plans for a series of craft workshops to be run in the autumn. And in September, the Centre has been invited to host part of the Cook 250 exhibition being organised for Whitby, linking up the boyhood home of explorer and sea Captain James Cook with the port from which he set sail on the journey that resulted in him discovering Australia.

Mr Taylor thanked librarian Jean Laskey and administration manager Brian Albrect for their hard work and dedication in ensuring that the various initiatives provided were well organised.

He added: " They make sure that we have a friendly, well-run place for people to visit. But our success would not be possible without our dedicated band of volunteers (35 at the last count) who continually provide a cheery and knowledgeable welcome to all who come through the doors."

Mr Taylor also thanked North Yorkshire county council and Great Ayton parish council for their continued support and paid tribute to Ian Pearce and Simon Jackson who, having been involved in GADC from the start, have stepped down as trustees.

"They have contributed enormously to the creation and subsequent success of this operation," he said.

"Going forward, our aim is to improve the craft display areas so that we can maximise potential sales and encourage more people from the village to make use the facilities. In short, to continue providing a welcoming and stimulating environment for the benefit of everyone in Great Ayton and surrounding area."