LOCAL enthusiasts are joining forces to make a spectacular job of replacing a large window in their village hall.

They are planning to create a stained glass window and install it in the stone hall at Barningham, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

They will attend two five-hour workshops at which expert Joanna Hedley, from Newcastle, will demonstrate how to make stained glass and piece it together in a window. The venture, costing more than £5,000, received a grant from the National Lottery and one from County Durham's small projects fund. Part of the cost is being met locally.

Joyce Brown, a member of the village hall committee, who is behind the scheme, said: "When we realised the window frame was rotting and had to be replaced, we felt it was a chance to do something really special.

"We expect about 20 people to attend the workshops and play a part in creating the new window.

"It will be designed to show the village, some of its residents and the road up to the nearby moors.

"We think the stained glass window will be a popular feature in the hall and will be enjoyed by many people for generations to come."

Ms Hedley will run the workshops in the hall, which is a listed building, on two Saturdays next month. Another expert will fit lead on to the glass before the window is installed, probably in March.

Two other workshops run by Ms Hedley will be held in the village later next year so local people can make smaller stained glass windows for their homes.

The new village hall window still needs to receive planning approval from Teesdale District Council. However, principal planning officer Trevor Watson said: "I can see no problem with this as the window will obviously enhance the listed building."