ADDINGHAM is to get a new-look community hub, right in the middle of the village.

Working with the Community Library, Civic Society and other village volunteers, the Parish Council has plans to re-open the Old School as a new community building, offering a flexible public space, available free of charge in the centre of the village, for small group meetings, activities and social get-togethers.

Chairman of the Council, Catherine Coates, said: “We are currently working very hard to get the Old School repaired and renovated, fit for use again as soon as possible. Then we’ll have a wonderful opportunity to re-use it for the benefit of the whole community. Our new Hub will house not only the Library, but also a new heritage and tourist information centre, all together in a flexible space which can be used by everyone for so many different purposes.”

The Council will be hosting an open event on July 8 at 2pm in the Memorial Hall to tell the village all about these exciting plans for a new public amenity in Addingham.

The Old School is a Grade II listed building, dating from 1668, with the upper storey added in the early 1800s. It is owned by the Parish Council.

The building was closed in early 2017, when an initial refurbishment project had to be aborted because of structural problems. The new renovation project will involve repairs to the upper floor and strengthening of the walls to resolve these problems. After the building has been made sound again, the plans to refurbish it will be brought forward and it will also be possible to make additional improvements, including the installation of an inner staircase and a disabled toilet.

The Parish Council and Library have been applying for grant funding towards the costs of renovating the building and equipping it as a new Hub. Total project costs, including the costs of the equipment, amount to some £120,000. Funding of over £65,000 has already been identified.

The Community Library is currently run from a temporary location which is parked behind the Memorial Hall. The space is too small to accommodate much of the stock, and the excess is currently stored off site, along with the books, files and archived material belonging to the parish council.

The new heritage and information centre will make archived heritage material on the history of Addingham – photos, maps and other records – available in one place and easily accessible to the public for the first time.

Further information can be found on the Council website – www.addingham-pc.gov.uk