A ground-breaking initiative which will breath new life into a defunct police station was launched in Haworth on Wednesday.

The former town police station in Changegate has been converted into a community contact point, bringing police, volunteers and other agencies under one roof.

At the heart of the pioneering project are the volunteers - people like Rachel Wilson, a 46-year-old mother of two.

Mrs Wilson will help staff the Worth Valley Police and Community Contact Point from Wednesday to Friday between 11am to 3pm and at the weekend from noon to 4pm.

And she is fitting in the job between training for ordination and her work as a parish councillor. Mrs Wilson said she volunteered because she felt it was up to local residents to stick their necks out and tackle issues, such as youth problems.

"I'm very excited about this new project. The parish council and the police have put in a lot of effort to make this happen and we are hoping that local people will now have more access to a variety of services," she said.

Chief Superintendent Graham Sunderland, Keighley police divisional commander, officially opened the new service. He gave special thanks to Lesley Airey, the project manager and clerk to Haworth Parish Council, and to former council chairman Paul Brookes, for their work in pushing the project forward.

He said: "The use of volunteers is essential for the community contact point to continue - without them we will not be able to keep it open."

About 2,000 people signed a petition to keep the police station open. It has undergone a facelift and will be staffed by at least 12 policing volunteers - two on duty at any time.

Bradford neighbourhood forum has also provided funding to appoint a co-ordinator to oversee the work of the volunteers.

Backed by the Problem Orientated Police team, including Haworth PC Brian Woollard, the volunteers will provide general information, crime prevention advice and record matters that need reporting to police.

Among the services available will be victim support, citizen's advice, advice about jobs and the parish council, links with the fire and ambulance services, Keighley College, Bradford social services and a host of others.

Project manager Mrs Airey said she had worked on the scheme since last September and had been overwhelmed by the interest.

"It's a flagship project which demonstrates how best value can be achieved by working together and bringing many different services to the community," she said.

But its success depended on the support of the community and the volunteers to help in the day-to-day running of the office, she added.

PC Woollard said: "Working with all the different agencies we will be able to improve the quality of life of all those people who live, work and travel to the area.

"Hopefully the community will use the contact point, not just to report matters to the police but to resolve other problems in their lives," he said.

Anyone interested in being a volunteer should telephone 01535 617107 or 0845 6060606.