A MAJOR restoration project has been completed on a conference and retreat centre used by thousands every year.

Wydale Hall, the York Diocesan Conference and Retreat Centre, has reopened after work which has made the 19th-century hall a more flexible space for different types of events.

The chair of the management committee, the Venerable Paul Ferguson, Archdeacon of Cleveland, said: "We restored the main chapel, and have now given it a dual lease of life as a conference room or chapel.

"The room was originally a ballroom, and we have taken out the 1970s wooden ceiling and panels around the walls to restore it to a light, airy room, with amazing views over the Wydale valley.

"It is now a flexible space that can seat 30 people boardroom style, or 60 theatre style. The altar and cross by renowned Yorkshire architect George Pace are still in the room, so that it can also be used as a space for worship."

There is also another conference room on the ground floor that can seat 24 people boardroom style, or 50 theatre style.

Next door a dedicated chapel and designated prayer area has been created with a new ash altar and cross.

Upstairs, another large room has been restored to its original dimensions, and converted into a conference room which can seat 16 people boardroom style, or 20 theatre style, again with beautiful views over the valley.

Wydale Hall is set in fourteen acres of gardens and woodlands, one mile north of the A170 main Scarborough to Pickering road.

Facilities include flexible catering provisions, wifi access, tennis court, bar and adventure playground. More than 60 people can be accommodated at one time, and Wydale Hall is also used as a retreat house for groups and individuals.

Anyone interested in using Wydale Hall as a venue, should contact 01723-859270 or email admin@wydle.org