SEVERAL years of hard work will be toasted tomorrow night at the grand opening of the newly refurbished Shrawley Village Hall.

The £200,000 facelift is set to provide a village facility fit for the 21st century, complete with a side extension housing an IT suite for use by local societies.

The main hall can now be divided into three separate rooms with high-grade soundproofed doors, allowing more people to use the building and creating greater flexibility of floor space.

About £50,000 of the cost of the work, which has taken a year to complete, was raised through local donations and fund-raising and the rest came from various grant-giving organisations.

The former school, which was first converted into a village hall in 1984, dates back to 1860 and other improvements have included new kitchen and toilet facilities.

A roll of honour in memory of Shrawley men who were killed in the First World War and framed photographs of those who served in the conflict have been restored and given pride of place in the new-look hall.

Rhea Dodge, a member of the hall's marketing group, said the Shrawley Village Hall Trustees had spearheaded the fund-raising and planning over several years.

The rooms have been named after the late Edward Davies, William Austin, Robert Walker and Michael Bendall, who were involved in the original conversion.

The hall will be opened by the chairman of the village hall trustees, Valerie Powick, who was a pupil at the school during the 1940s.

Other special guests at the opening ceremony will include a former headmistress of the school.

Tomorrow's event will also celebrate the presentation of £4,000 to village groups, including the church and the Friendship Club for the Elderly.

The money was raised at last year's Shrawley fete.

The first major event for the revamped hall will be an art and crafts exhibition by local artists on Saturday, March 19 from 10.30am until 4.30pm.

To make bookings and for more information about the hall, contact Jo Burkes on 01905 621040.