AN old bank vault in a South Lakes town is about to get a new lease of life as an exciting visitor attraction thanks to a creative community heritage project.

In 2018 Kirkby Lonsdale CIC successfully bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority SDF, and Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council to create - The Vault: A Kirkby Lonsdale Story Bank.

After months of hard work by community researchers, writers and actors The Vault is finally ready to be unlocked and share its secrets with locals and visitors to the town.

Project Manager, Jayne Davies, said: “We have turned the original strong-room, in the Visitor Information Centre in The Old Bank on Main Street, into a fantastic feature for locals and visitors to enjoy and engage with.”

Previously used as a cupboard, The Vault has become a story bank: an interactive installation where safety-deposit boxes can be unlocked and the stories of the objects within revealed using the latest technology.

Fascinating characters and stories from the area’s past and present are given a voice within The Vault and visitors are able to customise their experience by choosing which safety deposit boxes to ‘open’ and which stories to engage with.

The Vault is now open to visitors.