CHRISTMAS has come early for a remote dales village with a £300,000 National Lottery grant aimed at making its town hall the heart of the community.

The money, from the Lottery's Community Fund, will be spent on refurbishing the hall at St John's Chapel in Weardale, County Durham.

Much of it will be spent on updating the heating, toilets and other public facilities in the hall, which was largely rebuilt in 1952 following a fire.

But a lot of the grant has been earmarked for re-modelling the stage and bringing the building up to modern standards with a DVD cinema and room for art exhibitions and theatre and musical productions.

Sue Tallentire, vice-chairman of the hall's management committee, said last night: "What is most important is that this building should be both a social and educational hub for all the communties dotted around Upper Weardale.

"When we started putting this Lottery bid together, more than a year ago, we never thought we could achieve this.

"We are absolutely overwhelmed and very proud."

Weardale's Durham County councillor, John Shuttleworth, welcomed the grant.

He said: "This is the best Christmas present the upper dale could have.

"It represents some very hard work by some very determined people.

"It also goes a long way to get rid of the despondency and gloom we have faced since the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in February."