A THRIVING church hall is to get a £45,000 make-over this summer.

St Barnabas church hall, in Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street, is used by people of all ages, who take part in karate clubs, exercise classes, flower festivals, exhibitions and concerts held in the venue.

Despite the fact it has only been open for 20 years, the hall has been in desperate need of refurbishment to update its worn-out facilities and make it accessible to the disabled.

Now the church has been given a £44,700 grant to modernise the hall, by Biffa Waste Services, which is responsible for restoring the landfill site at the former Houghton quarry at Houghton-le-Spring. The award includes at £4,470 contribution from the Diocese of Durham Board of Finance.

The Rev Nicholas Chamberlain, of St Barnabas Church, said the modernisation work should begin in a few months.

He said: "We have quite a lot of different groups that use the facility and obviously we want to improve it for them and other people who would like to use it as well.

"One of the main things that will be done is re-surfacing the car-park outside the hall, because it is a safe place for parents to drop their children off at school and it is very muddy and horrible at the moment."

Other work will include refitting the kitchen, laying new, heavy-duty flooring and carpet in the classroom area, building a disabled toilet, cleaning and painting the hall and installing double glazing.

The money was awarded through Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund which utilises landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services.

Chairman of Biffaward, Martin Bettington, said: "Biffaward is pleased to award the grant to St Barnabas. The refurbishment work will provide modern and safe facilities, which can be used by local groups and visitors for many years to come."