VILLAGERS at Birlingham have said thank you to the organisations giving grants that made the refurbishment of their village hall possible.

The hall was constructed in the early 1920s of four-inch stone blocks made of gravel from the neighbouring river Avon, causing condensation and insulation problems.

Hall chairman Ian Winnard explained: "Over the years various committees endeavoured to resolve the problems, but it was only with grants totalling £120,000 from the Community Fund, Welcome to our Future, the Countryside Agency, Wychavon District Council, Eveson Charitable Trust, Lloyds TSB Foundation, Advantage West Midlands and Birlingham Parish Council that we were able to finance the modernisation."

He added: "We had to raise £12,000 in our village, in a wonderful effort over an 18-month period."

Mr Winnard said his predecessor, Harry Searle, had the vision to revamp the hall and spent hours organising the grants and setting everything up.

"We now have a state-of-the-art kitchen which complies in all aspects with current regulations," Mr Winnard said, "replacement windows and doors with double-glazing, and under the pine boarded vaulted ceiling is five inches of expanded polystyrene.

"Behind the new plasterboard and skimmed walls are two inches of expanded polystyrene and a new disabled toilet was added with all new cloakroom facilities throughout."

Members of the committee redecorated the exterior and pressure washed the thick moss encrusted roof tiles "to transform the hall into what must be one of the most attractive buildings in the Pershore area."