NEWSPAPERS are frequently approached to lend overt support to good causes. For practical reasons we can't support everything, other than to give the cause the oxygen of publicity.

For a project to get the D&S seal of approval it has to be something very special. And we think the Richmond Station Appeal is definitely something out of the ordinary.

At first glance the restoration of Richmond's former station is a straightforward conservation project. It is a beautiful building and needs to be looked after. Of course the best way of looking after such buildings is to find a sympathetic future use.

That can be a tricky bit because such architectural gems need to be retained with public access, and that usually means some form of public ownership and a consequent drain on the public purse.

What makes the Richmond Station project special is the way the people behind it have carefully blended the community elements of the proposal with the commercial side which will pay for the building's enduring viability. In this scheme they sit side by side most comfortably.

Richmond simply can't lose with this project. Provided the appeal is successful, the town will have a new cinema, restaurant/caf, homes for existing and new businesses, a heritage centre and community meeting rooms.

At the same time, the station, one of the town's hitherto neglected masterpieces, will have its future secured.