Stokesley Town Hall has been highly commended for a re-furbishing project which has transformed it into a top community building.

Stokesley Town Hall competed with four other outstanding projects in the final round of the Biffa Awards, and was highly commended by judge Martin Spray, chief executive of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

He said: "The town hall, a listed building built in the 1800s, had fallen into a very dilapidated condition. The refurbishment has been to a very high quality and has provided a central and important facility for a wide market town and rural community."

The commendation was in the community indoor amenity category.

The grade II listed town hall, built in 1853, was given to the people of Stokesley in 1919. A renovation and development plan was devised in 1999 as the building needed bringing up to modern day standards, including disabled access, new electrical wiring, heating system and safety exits.

A Biffaward grant of £66,914 contributed to the cost of restoring the building with original features and helped to fund the lift that allows access to the whole venue to older and disabled people.