Future secured for Earby Youth Hostel

YOUTH hostellers in West Craven can breathe a sigh of relief as the future is secured for a Youth Hostel that had been threatened with closure.

Earby Youth Hostel, which has 22 beds and attracts around 2,300 visitors a year, was due to close earlier in the year, following the Youth Hostel Association's (YHA) decision to sell the building, but Pendle Council stepped in to save it following a campaign by users.

The Earby site is just one of a number of hostels across the Yorkshire Dales facing a bleak future after the YHA announced plans to restructure its business following losses.

One of only two Youth Hostels in East Lancashire, the building was bought by Pendle Council and is being leased back to the Youth Hostel Association. A similar arrangement is in place for the Youth Hostel at Keld which went under the hammer earlier this year.

Coun Alan Davies, Leader of Pendle Council said: "The youth hostel has offered visitors to Pendle comfortable and affordable accommodation for many years and I am pleased that Pendle Council has been able to save it from closure.

"We aim to put Pendle firmly on the map and by offering Youth Hostel facilities in the area we can make the area accessible to everyone."

Mr Davies added that visitors will see improvements to the facilities over the coming year and people from all over the world will be able to check availability and book rooms online, following the introduction of a state of the art reservation system, launching early next year.

Hostel manager Simon Neal said: "The Youth Hostel Association (YHA) is pleased to retain a hostel in Earby and to have come to an amicable agreement resulting in Pendle Council becoming the new landlords but with the YHA continuing to manage the operation.

"This is a good result for all parties in keeping the hostel in the YHA network, for the financial contribution the hostel makes to the local businesses and economy, and in promoting tourism in Pendle"