A HISTORIC listed building which was badly damaged by suspected arsonists is being renovated and brought back into use by a team of people determined to make it a hub of community activity.

The grand 19th century building in Darlington’s Northgate was once owned by the Pease family but in recent years has been left derelict and is now fire damaged.

Now the NQA food bank has moved into the building, which a team of volunteers has been renovating since March.

The Northern Echo:

The building was previously used as an American diner - this space will be turned into a community cafe 

They are working with a range of organisations providing services for the community, who will be based there in the coming months.

Stephen Morgan, who runs the food bank previously based at Cornerstone Arts, said: “We want to create a place where people can work together and plan together.

"We have people come to the food bank who have problems; that might be domestic violence, or anxiety, or struggling to find work."

He added: "We've called it Pathfinder House. We want to do something new and something different and be somewhere where people can find their paths."

The Darlington Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) are based at Pathfinder House, as will Darlo Radio. Among the other organisations in talks about moving into the building are Arcus, which provides counselling services and Justice First in Stockton, which works with refugees.

Steve Winterburn, who runs the YEI, which works with people under the age of 30, said a youth hub – a job centre initiative – was also being set up.

He said: "It means we've got a lot more support under one roof.

"It's brilliant. We're all about helping people."

They are also hoping to bring the garden to the property back into use. Currently a forlorn patch of grass, Mr Morgan is hoping to grow a range of fruit and vegetables which could be used for the foodbank and a community café, as well as helping the centre run food preparation workshops to help people learn skills.

Research is also underway into whether they can grow Robsonia gooseberries or the Downy currant – which are both linked to the Robson family, who are believed to have lived in the building.

The Northern Echo:

Botanist Stephen Robson was the first man to write a book on flora in the English language. Robsonia gooseberries, native to the west of North America, were named after his nephew Edward Robson.

Edward’s greatest discovery was the ribes spicatum, or Downy Currant, which is a redcurrant native to Yorkshire and Durham, that had never been identified before but was grown by his uncle in his garden.

Mr Morgan has been trying to find out more about the history of the building, which he hopes can be displayed when the building is open to the public.

He added: "This is a historical building so the idea is to bring it back to how it used to be. When Stephen Robson lived here he was a botanist and had quite a garden. We want to build on that and grow fresh fruit and vegetables which can go into the food bank or the community. We want to teach people how to prepare food as well."

The Northern Echo:

He added: "We want to restore it to its former glory. It would be good to look at the front of the building and have it look like it was when it was first built."

A substantial amount of work has already been done to make the building safe to use, including putting in a new staircase. 

The building had been damaged by fire, and is suspected was being used as a cannabis farm. 

It is hoped that it will be more fully open by July.