THERE was delight among the Bridgerule Village Hall committee members as the news broke that the Big Lottery Fund has awarded them more than £60,000, which will enable them to complete the hall’s refurbishment project.

The replacement of the roof is the ‘last piece in the jigsaw’ for the hall’s refurbishment and the £63,466 received from the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund will go towards this.

The village hall was built in 1955 by local people in order to have a meeting place where village activities could take place and was extensively used. It declined in use over the years as the infrastructure began to wear out. By the 1990’s the cement/asbestos roof was reaching the end of its useful life and needed to be replaced. The present committee have done a lot of remedial work since, and the replacement of the roof is the last piece in the jigsaw that will enable the hall to face the next 50 years in good repair and be warm and welcoming to all the users in the village and surrounding area.

Since 2013, nearly £125,000 has been raised through grants, fundraising activities, donations and income to make the hall an attractive venue for all sorts of activities.

Chris Hitchings, chair of the Bridgerule Village Hall committee, said: “Bridgerule is a fantastic place to live with a superb community spirit. We are delighted that the National Lottery have put their trust in us to replace the roof, and given us this money.

“It would have taken many years to save the amount that it is costing to replace. A lot of work has gone into the application and the Lottery has demonstrated that where there is a need they will support local organisations who can show that they are capable of managing the project and bring it to a successful conclusion.

“We would like to say how much we appreciate the help given to us by the Lottery, and particularly their local representative Jenny Fish.”