A NEW community and tourist information centre opens in Slaithwaite next week.

The Rail and River Centre - including a shop - is in the basement of the village's Civic Hall, next to Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

It opens on Wednesday, March 9, and

will be managed by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships.

The shop will sell railway, river and canal books, walk guides, videos, prints and ephemera.

Birdboxes and bird food on sale will be supplied by the River Colne Clean-up Project.

The shop will also have information on tourist attractions, public transport information and publicity about railways and waterways.

At first the centre will open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10.30am to 2.30pm and be staffed by local volunteers.

Dr Paul Salveson, the association's general manager, hopes the centre will be a focus for visitors to the Colne Valley.

He said: "We're right next to the canal and we want to offer visitors, as well as local people, something special."