Campaigners battling to turn a former middle school into a health and wellbeing centre have won a cash windfall.

The Ingleton Middle CIC group, formerly iHope, has been awarded a Village SOS Lottery handout of £45,350.

The funding will help the group work to secure the lease of the whole site from the local authority and to run it as a community hub, called the I Centre, at the heart of the village.

Rosemary Hartley, the group’s chairman, said. “It has been a very emotional time for the community losing a much-loved school, but we feel sure that after gaining such good public support and winning this bid, we can move forward to a bright future for a community hub and the centre of the village.

“We are all ecstatic and keen to progress as quickly as possible.”

Ingleton Middle CIC (Community Interest Company) wants to use the redundant site to provide affordable premises through which organisations can deliver services of benefit to the community. The enterprise would generate income through rent.

Ms Hartley said that putting the school site to use would create a valuable community resource which would increase the economic and social sustainability of the village and wider rural community.

And Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith said: “I have been impressed by the efforts of the community to come together to build a positive future for the middle school site and this award recognises that hard work and dedication.”

People interested in renting space within the I Centre please contact Mrs Hartley on (015242) 42207 or visit the website, theicentre.org.uk