A VILLAGE hall is to be brought into line with modern requirements thanks to a £3,000 grant.

The Yorventure money will help to pay for new disabled toilet facilities at the hall in Brompton-on-Swale.

Funds raised by the hall committee will now stretch to installing new kitchen units too.

The hall is the former village school and has been leased to the community at a peppercorn rent by the local diocese since the mid-1980s, It is run and maintained by a small committee of villagers.

Committee member Lilian Cooper said: "We raise money through renting out the old school house and through our own fundraising events.

"The Yorventure grant is very welcome, as it has freed up more of our funds to improve the kitchen.

"Two members of the church congregation are wheelchair users, so we felt very strongly that we must improve the facilities for them, but all visitors and users will benefit from the work."

The hall is used by groups inlcuding the Yorkshire Countrywomen's Association, Brompton-on-Swale Ladies' Choir and a local band. The hall is also available for evening classes and social functions.

Work on the disabled toilets is almost complete and the kitchen improvements will be carried out before Christmas.

Yorventure is backed by Northallerton-based waste management company Yorwaste Ltd, which manages the Tancred waste transfer and recycling centre, near Scorton.