Village hall set to open after years of work

The 350,000 building, in Green Hammerton, near Knaresborough, will be officially opened tomorrow.

Much of the money has been raised by the 250 households in the village itself, and the Green Hammerton Recreational charity, which spearheaded the project, says it has been a remarkable achievement.

Charity chairman Brian Halling, said: "After so many years of planning and hoping it is a dream come true to see the new hall in place and the whole village is looking forward to using the new facilities.

"It has already received a lot of bookings and it is fantastic that it is already bringing new clubs and interests to the village.

"This is a major development for our village and we owe a big vote of thanks to all the people who have assisted us to get so far."

He added: "It is an amazing success, everyone has done their bit."

The new building will replace the dilapidated existing village hall and the local cricket club's pavilion.

It boasts a main hall which spans more than 100sq metres, as well as a fully-equipped modern kitchen, two changing rooms, an additional meeting room and modern toilets.

Earlier this year the new building was shipped in to Green Hammerton by lorries from York and lifted into place by a monster crane before workmen spent more than a month cladding it in brick and cinder wood.

The opening celebrations take place between 10am and 1pm, and a plaque celebrating the achievement is also to be unveiled on the day.

The village cricket team will also be playing a home game at the village hall that afternoon.