Dales church seeks manager for conversion

The Grade II listed church is expected to open as a hostel in spring 2025

A Grade II listed church in the Yorkshire Dales being turned into a hostel is seeking a manager.

St Michael and All Angels Church in Hudswell, near Richmond, is being converted into six-bedroom accommodation overlooking the Swale valley.

Hudswell Community Charity said it expected the venue to open to visitors next spring and was seeking to appoint a manager to work with trustees on the final arrangements, before then running the hostel.

Susan Ferns-Williams, the organisation’s chair, said it had taken “several years and a lot of hard work to get to this point”.

The church is being converted into a six-bedroom lodge

She said: “We wanted to preserve our historic parish church for future generations to enjoy and we felt the best way of doing this was to find a new sustainable use that would benefit the village and visitors to the Yorkshire Dales.”

The community group bought the church from the Church Commissioners in 2023 and has since raised almost £900,000 to convert the building.

The hostel, called St Michael’s Lodge, will include six en-suite bedrooms, a lounge and dining area, self-catering kitchen and secure bike store.

St Michael and All Angels churchyard has graves dating to the Medieval era

Secretary of the board of trustees Martin Booth said they were looking for an “exceptional person” who would “turn our vision for St Michael’s Lodge into reality”.

He added: “This is an exciting opportunity to work with us to create a unique place to stay in the Yorkshire Dales that will offer comfortable accommodation in a beautifully restored Victorian building.”

He said the right candidate would have experience in hospitality and management, and be able to manage the facility and small team of staff.

Hudswell Community Charity owns and runs a number of venues in the village including the pub, shop and hall, as well as allotments and an orchard.

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