A new community venue will open in Northallerton next week to give people in the town a space to come together and find out more about local organisations.

Hambleton Community Action will open "UpFront" in premises on the High Street on Thursday.

The charity says the building, at numbers 159/160, on the corner of Romanby Road, will be a place where residents can access a hot drink, and spend some quality time in other people’s company.

It is for all ages, and will offer a communal sitting area, together with access to IT facilities and free internet. There will also be jigsaw and book swap facilities, while local groups will be able to reserve some of the space for meetings and activities.

"UpFront" will initially open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, staffed by a member of the Hambleton Community Action team, assisted by volunteers.

Working in partnership with charities, voluntary groups and other organisations which complement the services of Hambleton Community Action, it is hoped the premises will become a place for people to find out what is on offer from the community.

To launch the new facilities and celebrate the start of Volunteers Week, which runs from June 1 to 7, Hambleton Community Action will host a community fair on Thursday, June 1 from 10am to 2pm where more than 20 organisations will be on hand to chat to people about volunteering opportunities.

Liz Lockey, chief officer at Hambleton Community Action, said: “We are a well-established charity offering a variety of community services in the area and we are delighted to be able to open our front doors to the community with this exciting new initiative."

For more information, contact Hambleton Community Action on 01609 780458 or email reception@hambletoncommunityaction.org.