A COMMUNITY'S bid for a bigger village hall has paid off, with the final piece in the funding jigsaw now confirmed.

Residents of Hunton and Arrathorne, North Yorkshire, set their sights on a major refurbishment which they hoped would lead to a new lease of life for the building.

The objective was to find £250,000 to cover the cost of an extension, new kitchen, modern toilets, storage space, new heating system and insulation.

The target suddenly seemed achievable when the management committee won a National Lottery grant of £227,563.

Another £13,000 was raised by the community, which left £10,000 to come from Richmondshire District council.

On Tuesday night, the district's economic, cultural and leisure committee sanctioned a grant for that amount.

Building work is now expected to begin within the next few weeks