Wellington Heath Village Hall Committee took charge of its new £200,000 Memorial Hall from the builders last Friday - and said it was looking forward to it "rekindling the heart of the community".

It has been a year since the old hall, a former Frist World War hospital hut, was closed for demolition.

Committee chairman Neville Shorrick said there had been no alternative but to build a new hall as a centre of community life.

"Now it's time to prepare and look to the future to make sure that all the effort that has gone into the project will not be wasted. It's a lovely building," he said.

"The new hall will provide a focus for all the activities which have always taken place here. But we hope it will encourage other, new activities to take off, such as educational classes. This is a very exciting period."

Funding for the new hall came from a variety of sources, including £167,207 from the Community Fund, £21,400 from Malvern-based Mercia Environmental Fund and £1,000 from Herefordshire Partnership.

The building will not be officially opened until 3pm on November 17.

Miss Nancy Davies, sister of a former chairman of the village hall committee, the late Harry Davies, will cut the ribbon, alongside guest of honour, BBC broadcaster Bernadette Kearney, who lives in Ledbury.

There will also be a display of photographs on show, depicting the history of the village and the hall.