Meet the residents of a Yorkshire Dales village who want to convert their disused church into a hostel for walkers and cyclists

Hudswell Community Charity trustees have for several years been planning a project to bring St Michael and All Angels Church back to life.

The Grade II-listed church was built in 1884 and closed in 2017 when the congregation dwindled to unsustainable levels...

The Diocese of Leeds has now formally deconsecrated the building and agreed to hand ownership to the charity, which has operated in Hudswell, near Richmond, for centuries and was originally founded to distribute parish relief funds.

An application has been submitted to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority for its conversion into a hostel with six rooms for 16 visitors to address a shortage of affordable holiday accommodation in the area.

The scheme would require a first floor being added, a new car park with 11 spaces including two electric vehicle charging points, and a timber bike store to replace existing cycle spaces. Freestanding solar panels would also be erected to provide power along with an air source heat pump.

Trustee and director Martin Booth believes that the venture could fill a 'gap in the market' for basic accommodation aimed at short-stay visitors on active breaks. The charity has already reassured residents that the hostel will be targeted at walking groups, families and individuals rather than potentially rowdy 'stag and hen' bookings.

If planning consent is given, they will then be able to apply for grants to cover renovation costs - though Martin is optimistic the scheme meets funding criteria.

"There's still a way to go, as it is a big job - renovating a listed building is complicated. We got the National Park Authority's advice before submitting the application and it meets a lot of their guidelines - it encourages tourism in this part of Swaledale and provides a cheaper option for walkers and cyclists. The scheme recognises the heritage value of the church

"The main reason we are doing this is to secure the building for the future and retain access for the community - we will continue to manage the cemetery, as many people have relatives buried there. The alternative would be for the Church to sell it on the open market, and it would then most likely become a private dwelling.

"There are a few holiday cottages in the village, but most of them have to be booked for a whole week, so we are targeting a different market. Hopefully the people who stay in the church will also use the pub and shop, which are also community-owned.

"We'll employ a manager and some other staff, and we expect it to generate a surplus by the third year. Looking at the occupancy levels of other hostels locally, we are confident we can get 40-60 per cent.

"All the rooms are en suite, and there will be a communal lounge and dining area, a kitchen and a drying room. It will suit families, groups of walkers and individuals, there will be a lot of flexibility. We're also offering the whole building for hire, which would be ideal for a group who wanted to hold a function or meeting in the village hall.

"There was a bit of anxiety about stag and hen groups but we are not looking at that market."

Hudswell already has a reputation as a village where residents work hard to improve their amenities - its pub, The George and Dragon, is run by the community and the Hudswell Community Charity has built affordable homes for local people in recent years. It also manages the former village school, which was converted into housing in 1900.

In 2019, Hudswell won the Yorkshire Village of the Year title, and put the £1,000 prize towards the church project.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Leeds said: "While it is true that the diocese is working with the charity group to help settle the future of this closed church building, and is pleased that this has progressed to the submission of a planning application, the deal is still subject to a statutory period of public consultation under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, a legal process undertaken by the Church Commissioners (the national church institution that oversees the disposal of closed church buildings) that has not yet been completed.

"The process will be starting shortly, and has to run a minimum of 28 days, with a national Church Commissioners committee hearing any objections to the draft scheme and deciding whether it should go ahead or not."