£1.4m project launched to provide community centre

Ripon Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) is behind the plans to convert the hospital wing of the former workhouse in Allhallowgate, Ripon, into a community house.

It will include an office for use by voluntary organisations, with Internet access, fax machines and photocopiers, a base for the community minibus and voluntary car schemes and large meeting rooms.

There will also be counselling rooms, a cafe and a children's wing with toys and a fenced garden.

The hospital wing of the workhouse has been used for storage only since the 1960s. It is still structurally sound, but needs internal repairs.

Work on the first phase of the project is due to start soon. It will cost £900,000 and electrical and plumbing work will be carried out and the ground floor made ready to use.

The work has been scheduled for completion by October.

A spokesman for Ripon CVS, which serves Ripon, Boroughbridge and Masham, said: "We are hoping that enough money will be raised to press straight on to phase two, as it is much more economical if the contractors can be kept on site. A further £500,000 is needed for this to happen."

Funding has been secured from trusts and local organisations, including Ripon City Council, Yorventure and the Tudor Trust. Yorkshire Forward has given £364,000.

Funding is still being sought for the project. Anyone who would like to make a donation or organise a fundraising event can call Ripon CVS on (01765) 603631.

The spokesman said: "Ripon urgently needs a community house to provide a central base for local organisations.

"Ripon CVS has been serving the people of Ripon and the surrounding rural areas for over 30 years. It has a proven track record of identifying unmet needs and finding solutions.

"It has consulted all voluntary organisations in the city and found considerable enthusiasm for involvement in this project.

"Currently, many of these groups are in unsatisfactory accommodation or operating from people's homes."