Plans for the creation of a new heritage centre at the Grade II-listed Fewston Church in North Yorkshire, have received a funding boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Located in the Washburn Valley between Harrogate and Otley, the proposed Washburn Heritage Centre will be housed within a sympathetically designed extension to the church drawn up by Pearce Bottomley Architects. Fewston with Blubberhouses Parochial Church Council (FBPCC) is behind the scheme, which is being supported by Yorkshire Water, the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and specialist groups, including Claro Archaeological Society and the Wharfedale Naturalists.

The centre will boast a meeting area, a kitchen and toilets, and will be used for a range of exhibitions, community and cultural events, as well as providing information about the local area. Ann Johnson, FBPCC secretary and chair of the Washburn Heritage Centre Project Group, said: "The Heritage Centre will give us tremendous opportunities for community events, for working with other groups on heritage related activities, and for giving both local people and visitors to the Washburn Valley an understanding of its history.

"The work involved in developing the project so far and in fundraising has brought many people in the community together, and we have had an amazing amount of support and co-operation from a wide variety of other groups and organisations." Fiona Spiers, head of the HLF in Yorkshire and the Humber, added: "The Washburn Valley area, which is visited by many walkers from around Yorkshire and further afield, has a fascinating history."