DUNSOP Bridge Village Hall has received a grant to improve the building.

Members of the hall committee applied to the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for funding and will use the £4,000 to improve the building’s energy efficiency and drive down costs.

Work will include double glazed windows, heating zones and roof insulation.

The hall received £15,000 from the Lancashire Environmental Fund and has also been given grants by Lancashire County Council and Ribble Valley Borough Council.

Work is due to start as soon as possible, following a kitchen refurbishment at the start of the year.

Sheila Paton, secretary of the hall said: “It’s really important that this work is being carried out and we are delighted to have been given this grant.

“It’s vital money that will help to make sure that the hall is sustainable and that our bills will be brought under control.

“With a building like this it’s easy for bills to be very large so the energy saving measures we are introducing will really help.

“The improvements to the kitchen will make a huge difference and I hope the work will be finished by the end of the year.”

Bleasdale Village Hall has also received a grant from the Forest of Bowland to refurbish the interior and improve energy efficiency.

Cathy Hopley from the Forest of Bowland said: “A village hall is a focal point for a community and it helps keep it together.

“The money that we have given them will, I hope, make sure these halls are around for many years to come.

“We have been awarding these grants to village halls who demonstrate that they want to become more energy saving.”