A GROUND-BREAKING project based in a village pub which aims to provide 'lifeline' support services and activities for the community has got off to a flying start.

The Community Hub in the Swan Inn, Carleton, near Skipton, was set up earlier this year and was officially launched last week.

The Swan's licensees Paul and Philip Selwood have opened the pub from 8.30am to noon, seven days a week, so that residents and visitors alike can access the wi-fi facilities, two personal computers, newspapers and magazines, as well as have access to photocopying and printing facilities, local information and a book exchange.

The pub is providing hot and cold drinks with a range of snacks to buy, and the Hub is accessible through a separate clearly-signed entrance to the building to ensure its appeal to non-pub goers.

A grant of £3,000 from the UK-wide largely volunteer-run 'Pub is the Hub' scheme, which encourages licensees who run rural pubs to provide additional community services and activities, has been made. The Carleton cash has been spent on IT equipment, a printer and drinks-making facilities.

Across the country, 'Pub is the Hub' services can be anything from libraries, shops and post offices to IT training and dementia-friendly lunch clubs.

The Hub, which is staffed by volunteers, has also been greatly supported by Carleton Community Umbrella, the organisation which raises cash to create useful community assets for the village.

Paul Selwood, who has run the the Swan for five years, said: “Our priorities are all based around the village and its residents as it is the only thing that will ensure that the business is sustainable over time.

“We are incredibly lucky to have the Carleton Community Umbrella organisation and, with Pub is The Hub’s advice and financial backing, I am delighted that we can extend its reach even further in providing the hub and coffee shop service.

"In a very short time, the Hub has become a lifeline for many people in Carleton.”

The facilities can all be ‘rolled back’ and put away after lunch to convert the room back to its original use as a venue for parties, meetings and weddings.

Plans for future use of the Swan Hub include local history seminars, dog training, CPR courses, art and reading classes, lunch clubs and adult education, and the village is working closely with North Yorkshire County Council’s 'Stronger Communities' team.

Trisha Hughes the regional advisor for Pub is The Hub in Yorkshire added: “This really is a unique project for a village pub and could provide a blueprint for other rural communities to pull together and share resources. Paul and Philip’s support for the idea has been visionary and we wish them both continued success.”