Community triumphant as work starts on childcare unit

The unit in Hawes, Wensleydale, is the culmination of four years' work by the Upper Dales Childcare Partnership.

The community group was formed in 2001 amid concern over the lack of full-time childcare in upper Wensleydale and Swaledale.

The unit will provide services including breakfast, wrap-around nursery, after-school and holiday club care.

Funding for the £350,000 project has come from several sources, including the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which has pledged more than £165,000, and Yorkshire Forward, which has donated £65,000.

Colin Bailey, from the partnership, said getting the project off the ground had been a major achievement.

"The challenge has been for the community-led project to work through the minefield of funding bodies and their different criteria," he said.

"It's taken determination and a willingness from people to give up their time and not accept no for an answer."

Richmondshire District Council this week pledged to loan the community group a maximum of £35,000 for seven months to cover a shortfall while other money is collected.

Leader of the council, Councillor John Blackie, praised the hard work of Mr Bailey and council officer Alan Simpson, who worked with the community group to secure the funding.

He said: "This is exactly what district and county councils should be doing - making sure community-driven projects get the best chance possible. This is going to be an absolutely fantastic child care facility for families in the upper Dales."

The original plan had been to refurbish a hut in the grounds of Hawes Primary School.

But a structural engineer found that it would cost £30,000 to repair the corroded frame of the building.

Coun Blackie said: "This has meant we will now get a new facility instead of one that was slightly suspect."

Community leaders hope the unit, which is expected to open next January, will provide parents and carers the chance to seek further education or full-time employment.