THE traditional image of youth hostels as basic, "roughing it" accommodation with strict house rules was blown away with the unveiling of the newly refurbished Stainforth Youth Hostel.

MP David Curry was at Taitlands, the former family home which has been a hostel for more than half a century, to officially reopen the facility after a £200,000 facelift. Visitors, including Mr Curry and Craven District Council chairman Peter Walbank, were impressed by the bright and comfortable surroundings, not to mention the excellent catering now offered by the Youth Hostel Association.

"When I went youth hostelling in 1943 it was thick sandwiches only, and you had to do jobs like chopping wood. There was a great camaraderie then and that has definitely not changed," Mr Walbank told the Herald.

Stainforth now offers bunk beds in rooms ranging from two to 10 beds. Some rooms have en-suite facilities with showers and toilets right next door to the dormitories which haven't.

Manager Chris Alder said guests could now choose from bed and breakfast, full or half board and self-catering options. He added that the hostel was open all day, guests did not have to bring their own bedding, and gone were the days of every visitor having to muck in with scrubbing floors and other chores.

The main customers remain school parties and hikers, but family groups enjoy the hospitality of the hostel, which plays a vital role in helping education and providing accommodation for those on lower incomes.

Mr Curry emphasised the role of hostels in the Dales, and said they were responsible for £1 million a year in direct spending, plus a further £1 million in the wider community.

"Even when people want to have a 'roughing it' holiday, they do want a minimum standard as well. Changes in terms of smaller bedrooms and more privacy are a very important part of meeting consumer demand," he said.

"Hostels have an educational function with three-quarters of visitors being school children. It is more and more important that children can see with their own eyes the sorts of things they learn in the classroom. For children from inner city schools it is a revelation to find out that milk comes from cows."

The YHA funded the refit with various grants as well as putting £78,000 into the project itself.