Kildwick and Farnhill residents are taking part in a pioneering scheme to look at ways they can help their own community.

Parishioners at St Andrew's Church are involved in one of only 12 pilot schemes nationwide to establish the needs of people in the two villages.

The project is being overseen by Cliff Hayward, working on behalf of the Tear Fund charity.

Up until now, the fund has only been involved in work abroad, but this is one of a number of new home-based projects under the heading UK Action.

Church members have already met to look at ideas to improve the area in which they live. And a number of projects have been thrown up following a survey of local groups and organisation.

These include:

Transport - fears that the village is isolated to those without their own cars, especially pensioners;

Young people - they also feel isolated due to a lack of things to do in the two villages; Village shop - the need to keep it open;

Environment - problems with too much traffic, noise from the bypass, litter and the nearby industrial estate.

Residents involved in the project will meet tomorrow (Saturday) to decide how to take it further.

Vicar of Kildwick, the Rev Dr Paul Moore said: "We've been asking people what they would like to see in the community.

"The meeting tomorrow will give details of things that other communities have done, then we will have a brainstorming session and think about what can be done on our own doorstep."

Plans are already under way to look into buying the village shop and running it as a community store.

Now the group want to tackle the transport problem and other issues highlighted by the recent survey.

"People have told us that it's difficult for them to get from Kildwick and Farnhill to the doctor's surgery if they don't have a car, because there isn't a bus which goes that way," added Dr Moore.

Mr Hayward told the Herald he was there to give help and advice.

"I started off by going though the reasons they wanted to do these things and establish that it was because they wanted to help the community and not just get more people into church," he said.

Anyone wanting to add their support to the project should go along to tomorrow's meeting in the Kildwick Parish Rooms from 1pm.

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