Building work is well underway at the Village Hall in Drakes Broughton.

The hall, which also serves Pirton and Wadborough, first opened in 1958 but after 60 years, is in need of major refurbishment.

Carried out by a local builder, work started in September 2021 and last week the installation of a new roof was complete.

Janet Butterworth, chair of the parish council and trustee of the hall, said: “This is a community effort to improve a much-treasured community asset.

“There has been a lot of enquiries already from people who want to book the Hall and we are really excited about all the community events and activities that are being planned.”

Alongside the new roof, the finished project will see the creation of a new main hall, a smaller meeting room, more doors and windows, a veranda, new toilets, a new kitchen and an area for a pop-up café.

In total, the project is set to cost around £300,000.

Two thirds of the cost has been covered by a successful bid for a Wychavon Community Legacy Grant whilst additional grants and fund-raising events will make up the rest of the cost.

The hall is planned to reopen in June of this year.

A spokesperson of the project said one of the primary reasons for the development is the huge increase in the local population.

Since the hall first opened, the population that uses the hall will have increased five-fold, upon completion of nearby housing developments.

They also stated that the hall was simply “unattractive” and “not up to modern building standards”.

To find out more about the development or to get involved as a volunteer, visit the website, dbvillagehall.com.