PARISHIONERS and sponsors gathered in Throckmorton to see radio presenter Katie Johnson officially open a new £175,000 parish hall.

The opening ceremony was the culmination of four years work by villagers to replace their old building - a 95-year-old Scout hut - with a new hall. It will provide a venue for local groups and social gatherings as well as business meetings. The hall has an internet connection.

In November the Worcester News reported how plans to open the hall were delayed when energy supplier Energy Services failed to connect the electricity - leading to a four-month delay in the building's completion.

As a result of the story, the power supply was connected just before Christmas and the community began using the building in the new year.

Charles Tucker, Throckmorton Village Charity trustee, said the opening was attended by sponsors Severn Waste, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Natural England, which combines elements of English Nature, the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service.

Mr Tucker said: "The opening went very well and the weather was brilliant.

"It was followed by a slide presentation showing the old parish room, its demolition and various stages of the new hall being built."