A YORKSHIRE Dales studio has been fitted with a new high-quality dancefloor.

Dancers at The NASH, at Hawes, will benefit from the shock-absorbing sprung wooden floor which has been installed with support from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF).

The NASH – at first a National School, then a Church room – was restored and refurbished in 2014. It was re-opened as a space for performing arts, classes and other events.

The SDF awarded £6,996 to the National School Hawes Community Interest Company (NSHCIC) to part-fund its ‘Springboard’ project, with support also coming from the Big Lottery Fund.

YDNPA chairman Carl Lis said: “It was great to see the children dancing – in a space which was first used by the children of Hawes more than 150 years ago.

"The wooden dance floor makes The NASH an attractive venue for community meetings, for performances, and for exercise or dance classes. Safeguarding existing community or recreational places is one of the objectives in the National Park Management Plan, and the Authority is keen to play its part in helping to achieve that.”

Emily Rowe Rawlence, one of the directors of the NSHCIC, said: “When we re-opened the venue, we weren’t entirely sure which direction it would go in. Very quickly dance and exercise classes took off, and the specialist floor has enabled this to develop further.

“At the moment we’ve got around 20 boys and girls learning to dance each week. We hope that number will increase.

"It’s amazing to think that our little rural venue in Hawes has a floor of the standard that is seen in major urban venues and dance studios.”

The SDF supports small-scale projects that result in positive benefits for the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Visit www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/sdf for more information.