Last updated at 14:13, Friday, 02 November 2012

A plans to carry out a £620,000 refurbishment of Threlkeld’s Village Hall will begin in January after it received a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

The hall trust received a grant of £430,000 from the Lottery’s Reaching Communities (Buildings) programme.

Because of other grants and £50,000 raised by the community, it has enough money for work to go ahead.

The hall is more than 100 years old and was in a bad state of repair, so trustees decided in 2007 that it needed to be refurbished.

The programme involves full refurbishment of the main hall with full insulation, triple glazing and new floors, demolition of side and rear extensions to be replaced by a new entrance area, toilets and a large room to be used as a community coffee shop.

Heating will be provided by solar panels and a heating pump, and there will be wheelchair access. The traditional appearance of the front of the building will be kept.

Tenders for the work will go out soon, and it is hoped that it can start at the end of January, with the hall reopening in January 2014.

Trevor Roberts, chairman of the village hall trust, said: “The coffee shop will employ people and will provide long-term income for the hall. It has been a massive co-ordination job with lots of people in the village helping out.”

He added: “The hall needs to be fully utilised when it reopens.”

The Village Hall Support Group and the trust are looking for people to join in support of the new venue. Anyone interested can contact Mr Roberts on 017687 79359.

First published at 11:50, Friday, 02 November 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk