MEMBERS of a Women's Institute are selling their 75-year-old hall - and giving away 80pc of the proceeds.

Benevolent members of the WI at Bishop Monkton, near Ripon, are hoping the sale will net about £100,000 for the building in the village's main street.

And they have already decided that, if the six figure sum is reached, £80,000 of it will go towards the fundraising project for a new village hall and sports complex in Knaresborough Road.

Over the years the hall has been home to far more than jam and Jerusalem. It has been let out for parties, meetings, badminton and is the venue for plays and entertainment by Bishop Monkton Entertainment Group.

Fittingly, the group is expected to be the last user of the hall on August 30 when it stages a produce and craft show.

WI president Ruth Martin said there was some sadness about leaving the old hall, particularly among members who had lived in the village for many years.

She said 20pc of the sale proceeds would be put in a trust fund as part of the institute's education charitable status. This could be used over the years to provide courses for members.

The wooden hall contains a kitchen, committee room, toilets and large hall.

The new village hall and sports complex, part of which is already in use, came after the village was rejected for a £200,000 national lottery grant.

Last August the then-Mayor of Harrogate, Bishop Monkton councillor Ian Galloway, cut the first sod to mark the start of work on the ambitious project.

The final bill is expected to top £250,000 and rejection of the initial lottery application sparked a spirited fundraising effort from the community.

A spokesman for agents of the WI hall said potential buyers had expressed interest, but a final decision had not yet been made. There is outline planning permission already granted for the site to be developed for housing.