A VICTORIAN village hall is to be refurbished with the help of a £50,000 National Lottery grant.

The former Literary Institute, erected in 1898, is Copley's only resource for leisure, social and educational activities, with committee members welcoming the opportunity to take it into the twenty-first century.

The hall currently has outside lavatories and no running hot water, but the money from the Lottery Community Fund will enable the building of an extension and the updating of facilities. New toilets and wheelchair access will be provided and the kitchen will be completely revamped with disabled users in mind.

The extension and refurbishment will cost in the region of £60,000, with the hall providing more than £8,000 of funding which has been raised through raffles, coffee mornings and social evenings.

Once the makeover is complete, committee members hope that more groups will take advantage of the modern facilities.

Residents have been canvassed via a questionnaire as to what kind of activities they would like to see when the hall re-opens, and the committee is confident of at least two new groups and a substantial number of individuals taking advantage of the new facilities.

It is envisaged that work will start in July and be completed in time for a "grand" opening before Christmas.