A RIBBLE Valley village hall has undergone a £50,000 refurbishment project to help secure its future.

Mellor Village Hall, which was built in the 1980s, has had a new roof and insulation installed. It has also been equipped with solar panels, which it is hoped will provide a small income for the hall.

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The final set of improvements, LED lighting, is due to be installed over the next few months.

The hall’s committee, led by chairman Mick Venables, applied for funding from the Lancashire Environment Fund and received a £30,000 grant towards the project.

The remaining £20,000 was raised through fundraising events during the year by committee members and people who use the hall.

The work, which also included the installation of cavity wall insulation, was started in August last year after the project was first announced in February 2014.

The hall is used by various groups, including sports teams, singing groups and the Girl Guides.

Mick, 56, who has been chairman of the village hall for the last 20 years, said: “The whole committee is thrilled that the work has now been mostly completed.

“We are hoping that the lighting will be installed over the next two or three months. We are very grateful to the Lancashire Environment Fund as we could not have done it without the grant money.

“Everyone has done really well with raising the remaining money.

“The improvements have made a real difference to the hall.

“The solar panels will provide a small income for the hall which will help contribute to the running costs.

“We do not know exactly how much we will get from them yet however as we have not fully looked into it.”

Ribble Valley borough councillor Stella Brunskill, who is also a member of Mellor Parish Council, has praised everyone who was involved in the successful effort to raise money for the project.

She said: “I fully support their efforts.

“They have done really well to raise such a large amount of money alongside the grant money.

“The community in Mellor is very strong.

“There are a lot people who are keen to improve the village’s facilities.

“The village hall is in constant use and it really is the hub of the community.”