PORLOCK Information Centre has reopened in a new home for the first time since it was set up nearly 30 years ago.

It has relocated from the Old School Centre to the village centre Vale Yard in a joint venture with Miles Tea and Coffee Co.

Information centre manager Debbie Stanyon said it was ‘a bold move that looks to the future’.

The move has seen the parish council carry out a public consultation on how best to use the space which had been vacated in the former school building.

Councillors agreed to carry out work to accommodate an expansion of the Lovelace Resource Centre and Porlock’s community library, including a dedicated children’s space, and to create a ‘community room’ and a dedicated parish office.

Ms Stanyon said everything the information centre previously provided, including local craft items for sale, books, leaflets and maps, continued to be available in the new premises.

She said the next few months would also see the opening of a ladies pre-loved boutique and a hot desk working space for rent.

Future plans include a community café, a youth hostel/bunk house accommodation for walkers as well as an interactive Miles Tea and Coffee museum.

The Miles shop in Vale Yard, which offers a full range of the company’s products, has also received a makeover which links spaces in the building to offer more for visitors.

Ms Stanyon, who masterminded the relocation with a team of volunteers, said: “It certainly felt like the end of an era, when we closed the doors at the Old School Centre and handed the keys back to the parish council.

“But it is time for a new beginning to ensure Porlock Vale continues to have an information centre sitting at the heart of our community, providing support and information to residents, businesses, and visitors.

“We have been given this amazing opportunity to collaborate with Miles Tea and Coffee to fully develop the buildings at Vale Yard.

“We look forward to working with them on the next stages of this development.

“We acknowledge and give credit to the incredible vision from the original team of individuals who set up the visitor centre in 1997, utilising the space left at the Old School Centre, when the new St Dubricius School was built.

“There have been many changes in the last 27 years from the early mission statement of the original Porlock Tourist Association to the formation of the Porlock Vale Community Interest Company in 2022.

“The respective managers, especially Denise Sage, and the various committee and board members have steered the centre and supported the residential and business community through some challenging times, including the foot and mouth outbreak and the Covid pandemic.

“Porlock Vale is blessed to have such a valuable resource for such a small community and we are endeavouring to make sure the information centre continues for many more years.”

Ms Stanyon praised the ‘unstinting support’ of Derek Miles and the company’s directors who had a shared vision for Vale Yard.