A NEW £185,000 meeting room has opened in a Bromsgrove village.

The Rt Rev John Sentamu, Bishop for Birmingham, opened the Wheel, as the room is known, at St Catherine's Church, Blackwell.

The new community room, which took five months to build, was paid for in part by a donation from Hilary Stookey in memory of her father, former church warden Raymond Grove. Money invested when the old hall was demolished and other contributions helped also.

Church warden Judy Hickman-Smith said: "The Wheel will be used for Sunday school classes but it will also be available for groups for meetings. It seats up to 40 people and is linked to the church but has its own access.

"We now hope residents will take full advantage of this new facility," she added.

After the official opening of the room, a firework display, which featured many catherine wheels, helped mark the occasion. The beams on the ceiling of the new building also depict a catherine wheel.

The new building is part of a wider development programme in the parish.

Funds are still being raised to help refurbish Holy Trinity Church in Rose Hill, Lickey, and also to put an office on the front of the hall opposite the church.