A consortium of traders has been established to launch a new venture aiming to transform the North York Moors into a national conference centre.

The "Purple Patch" initiative was drawn up by hoteliers and bosses at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Their ambition is to re-brand the area, promoting it as a prime location for national business conferences.

Victor Buchanan, who owns the White Swan at Pickering, is one of a group of 11 hoteliers behind the scheme.

"Nothing is being done to promote the area in this way and we decided unless we did it, no-one else would," he said. "The foot-and-mouth crisis has left a lot of damage and this is one of the reasons behind the scheme."

A website is being set up to promote the scheme and funding has already been secured from Barclays Bank.

Mr Buchanan added: "Besides having the ability to accommodate conferences, there is so much here. It is an ideal place for people who want to work hard and play hard. Any pastime you want to take part in is within travelling distance of this area."