A RAILWAY trust concerned at the deterioration of Hellifield Station is hoping it might soon have a definite say in its future.

The Settle and Carlisle Trust - the charitable arm of the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line - is anxious that the Grade II listed station does not fall into disrepair again, less than a decade after refurbishment works restored the station and its unique Victorian canopy to its former glory.

The trust hopes it might take over the station buildings from current leaseholder West Coast Railway, but nothing has been agreed and its ambitions for the station are no more than pipe dreams at present, trust representative Rev Donald Bird, told Hellifield Parish Council.

"The trust, as one body of a number who put money into the restoration of Hellifield Station, is concerned that this Grade II listed building is not allowed to deteriorate further.

"We firmly believe that anything we do we want to be done in conjunction with the local community. We would very much like that local community to be in on the act from the beginning," said Mr Bird.

If the trust was to take over the station, it plans to put Hellifield on the map. It has already refurbished Ribblehead Station, has been involved in the installation of heritage lighting at Settle station and has just started work on Horton station.

"The first thing we would do would be to get the road to nowhere (access road) completed, and there is money to do that. We could not do anything with the station without adequate, acceptable access. We would like to see pedestrian access only to the station via Station Road," said Mr Bird.

Possibilities at the station include a quality restaurant with signing from the A65, office space and a training operation in the north bay like that at Appleby community training centre where restored carriages are used for coaching young people in woodwork, metalwork and computing. Some sort of museum could be established, hopefully with links with York Railway Museum and the Midland Railway centre at Butterley.

The trust and Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line would also like to develop services to and from Hellifield into Lancashire and particularly establish links with Manchester Airport. It is hoped people would be drawn into Hellifield by rail from the population centres of Lancashire and Greater Manchester, and linked minibus services could take passengers from the station into the dales at Malham and Hawes.

Local jobs would be created if the ideas became a reality, added Mr Bird.