A DALES community has launched a fundraising drive to pay for a village hall.

A meeting was held in Wensley at the end of last year to find out what residents wanted for their community - and a versatile meeting place which could also be used by youngsters for sports was among the suggestions.

When it became clear access policies applied by Richmondshire District Council would prevent the present village hall from being used as an election polling station, the community agreed that a hall should be a priority.

Lord Bolton, of nearby Castle Bolton estate, has already offered land in the village for a hall.

Meanwhile, the Wensley Parish Meeting is leading the search for grants, working in partnership with Richmondshire District Council and the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages network.

Spokeswoman Mandy Moston said: "The first thing we have to do is complete our village plan under the Vital Villages umbrella, as we have already been given money for that.

"Once we have a strategy, we can begin applying for grants - and one thing we have already discovered is that there is no single source for this sort of project.

"We can try the National Lottery, the Sports Council and even apply for cash from Europe - and, in the meantime we will continue some low-key fundraising of our own.''

A car boot sale on Easter Monday was among the first events, but more will be arranged as the village hall scheme progresses.

The old hall has been deleted from the list of polling stations because steps leading to the door are too steep for elderly voters and impossible for the disabled to negotiate without help.

Parish Meeting chairman Cuthbert Kirkbride said: "This year, Lord Bolton has allowed the village to use an empty flat nearby which is owned by the Castle Bolton estate - but, if we don't build a new hall soon, then we could find voters having to travel to Redmire, which is too far for some of the more elderly residents.''