A VILLAGE hall has benefited from £3,000 to help with the upkeep of the building thanks to a Launceston-based charity.

Launcells Parish Hall received £3,000 from the business club of the Cornwall Community Foundation for the external upkeep of the hall. Cornwall 100 Club member Pamela Idelson from Trebarfoote Manor visited the project.

The hall is the hub of the community and is used regularly for skittles, yoga, bowls, badminton, and by the local history group, as well as for the annual horticultural show. It is now a popular choice as a venue for all sorts of celebrations, charity events and fairs, and hosts various forms of entertainment, including music, comedy and bingo evenings.

Recent events held in the hall, with more than 100 people attending, illustrated the need for it to be preserved and maintained for future generations.

The hall is managed and maintained by a small committee of volunteers — over the years the committee and local residents have managed to modernise the facilities, enabling all local groups access.

Recent small building works in the hall include the creation of two extra toilets.

Maddy Meaden, from the Launcells Parish Hall Committee, said: “We are very proud of our hall, especially since we have had it painted, and had a number of alterations and small building jobs done.

“The re-design of the stage area and storage spaces either side has created extra space and made access to the hall tables and chairs so much easier. Without grants such as support from the Cornwall Community Foundation I feel we would lose the incentive to fundraise and volunteer our time in order to see the continued existence and use of our village hall.”

The Cornwall 100 Club was established seven years ago in March 2008 and supports local projects in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Funding from the club helps people to make their communities better places to live; in particular it encourages projects,which incorporate a combination of the following themes: improving community spaces (village halls and outside recreational spaces); providing a service the whole community can benefit from; business and communities working together and charitable organisations who support children and young people.