A MUCH-loved visitor attraction celebrating the life and work of vet James Harriot has been handed over to the community.

In what would have been author Alf Wight’s centenary year, Hambleton District Council cabinet has this week agreed to transfer buildings housing the famous veterinary surgery, at 23 and 25 Kirkgate, Thirsk, to the World of James Herriot Museum.

Leader of the council Cllr Mark Robson announced the council was looking to make the transfer at a special centenary dinner for Alf Wight at Tennants, Leyburn, last month.

He told 350 guests, including former stars of the television programme All Creatures Great and Small, the council was working to transfer the deeds to the museum.

The centre – a tribute to the vet and author Alf Wight, known as James Herriot – was opened by the authority in 1999.

It invested £1.4m in the project – which included contributions from private and public sources - with artefacts being donated from across the UK.

In 2012, faced with declining visitor numbers the council agreed to put the centre on a commercial footing by transferring it to The World of James Herriot Ltd – since then those numbers have been reversed and the centre won Visit England’s Small Visitor Attraction of the Year in 2015.

“Transferring these buildings in the centenary year seems a good way of celebrating the success of the centre and of Alf Wight,” said Cllr Robson.

“It will give the centre better access to grants for further development. We will safeguard the items owned by the council and part of the transfer conditions will see the asset returned to the council should changes that are not beneficial to the community proposed.”