Owners and occupiers of historic buildings in the Yorkshire Dales National Park will have a chance later this month to get expert advice on how to look after them.

A special, one-day event has been organised by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) at Gayle Mill on October 22 – and places are being snapped up fast.

Gaby Rose, the YNDPA’s Building Conservation Officer, said: “The event always proves to be very popular, and once again we have a very full programme of speakers who will cover a wide range of topics.

“The day is split into three sections – the architecture of historic buildings, historic buildings in modern life and the maintenance and construction of historic buildings – and we hope people will go away with a huge amount of useful information.”

Speakers at the event are Gayle Mill’s Heritage Education and Training Co-ordinator Samantha Belcher, historic buildings consultant Jonathan Ratter, conservation architect James Innerdale, and historic buildings contractor Kevin Woods.

There will be an entrance fee of £15 per person that will include a buffet lunch and tea and coffee.

Gayle Mill is an 18th century listed building which still contains much of its original machinery. It has been carefully restored and is run by the Gayle Mill Trust as a visitor attraction and skills centre.

Places are limited so booking is essential. Cheques should be made payable to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and sent to the YDNPA’s Yoredale offices in Bainbridge, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3EL.

Further information can be obtained by phoning 01969 652 354 or emailing herinfo@yorkshiredales.org.uk.

Dales Volunteers have been doing their bit to preserve an historic footbridge in Swaledale.

A group of five volunteers and some Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority rangers stripped down the damaged arch on Usha Gap Bridge near Thwaite and rebuilt it.

Ian Broadwith, the Authority’s Access Ranger for Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, said: “The bridge is more than 100 years old and the centre had sunk and was in danger of collapse.

The Dales Volunteers identified the need to repair it in a survey of the rights of way that they carry out every year.

A very popular footpath crosses the little tributary of the River Swale so a temporary timber bridge was installed in September, 2007, to keep the path open.

Bridge at Usha Gap - Photos courtesy of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

The stones have been bedded in with traditional lime and mortar so that it is in keeping with the age of the bridge.

Work on the bridge was scheduled for last year but was delayed as a result of the bad weather

The team had to build a wooden support – a former – that fitted underneath the bridge to help them dismantle and then rebuild the arch.

The timber bridge was then taken down and will be reused.

The National Park Authority is responsible for the maintenance of more than 2,000kms of rights of way, including more than 800 bridges crossing streams, becks and rivers, and its Dales Volunteers gave more than 6,000 days of work last year.

Generally, there are very few Volunteer vacancies but, in the Northern Dales, there may be opportunities for one or two new people with practical skills.

For further information, please contact Rae  Lonsdale on (01756) 751630 or e-mail volunteers@yorkshiredales.org.uk.