CAMPAIGNERS who fought for more than a year to save a Wensleydale youth hostel from closure have been urged to join a final push to save it from the axe.

The Youth Hostel Association (YHA) announced the demise of its Aysgarth premises in April - a year after agreeing to a stay of execution in the wake of a vigorous rescue campaign.

North Yorkshire County Council, Richmondshire District Council and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority had helped to thrash out a £750,000 package which would have seen the facilities redeveloped as a community resource, including a computer suite and meeting rooms.

But the YHA pulled the plug on the project in April this year when it became clear that the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, would not be offering any cash to help cover the costs.

The building is due to close in December and will be put on the property market. But on Monday night, the Mayor of Richmond, Councillor Stuart Parsons, appealed to the county council's Richmondshire area committee to take the lead in a fresh drive for a change of heart.

"Yorkshire Forward can be Yorkshire Backward sometimes and I would urge members of this committee to press North Yorkshire County Council to take up the baton again to campaign for a change of heart," he said.

The committee agreed to write to Yorkshire Forward, as well as to the Youth Hostel Association. The district and parish councils will be asked to do the same.

However, a spokesman for Yorkshire Forward indicated yesterday that their appeal was likely to be in vain.

He said: "The funding was refused because the Aysgarth project did not meet our regional strategic objectives. We will still be working with the YHA to review their presence in the Wensleydale area, but funding to refurbish Aysgarth has been rejected. We do have numerous demands on our budgets and we simply cannot cover them all."

A spokesman for the YHA also indicated a change of heart was unlikely.

He said: "The fact remains Yorkshire Forward is not offering anything towards the cost of refurbishment at Aysgarth, which means the current building isn't feasible.

"However, we are working with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority on alternative locations and we are determined to do what we can to ensure we stay in Wensleydale."