VILLAGERS from Upper and Lower Stanton St Quinton came together on Sunday for a major fundraising event in aid of their parish hall.

The event, hosted by the Stanton Manor hotel, raised £422 for the hall, which was damaged badly by vandals 12 months ago.

It is hoped that the money raised can help repair and revamp the hall to create a valuable indoor resource for the local community.

Alex Wood, from Stanton Manor, helped to organise the event, she said: "It went really well, we had quite a lot of the village come to the event both Lower and Upper Stanton, it was good to get the whole village involved.

"The weather was really amazing for us, it stayed dry all day. The village hall is so well located between Upper and Lower it brings together both sides of the village.

"It raised awareness of the village hall committee's cause which is what they wanted to achieved and raised some money too. It was nice to have the hotel buzzing; there was a really nice atmosphere all day."

Stanton Manor is regularly booked up for weddings, particularly during this time of year, but a rare free weekend gave them the perfect opportunity to help out the village.

Stall holders gave visitors the chance to purchase chutney, crafts, sweets and fashion items while kids could try their hand at a hook the duck or tombola stand, or release some energy on the bouncy castle.

Cara Voelcker, from the parish hall committee, said: "We are incredibly grateful to Stanton Manor they did a fantastic job for us. It was very generous of the management, we could not be more delighted. It was so lovely because people from the village contributed to it, people came with their children and grandchildren."

The proceeds from the event will go towards giving the hall a new lease of life with improved toilets and disabled facilities and a re-positioned and improved kitchen.

Last July, hooligans broke the front windows of the village hall, which had to be boarded up, and hit the side of the building, a few days later, leaving a mess of stones and glass inside.

The Stanton St Quinton parish hall committee's next fundraising event will be a Pub Night on September 25 between 7pm and 11pm. The parish hall will be transformed into 'The Stanton Arms' with beer, cider, wine and soft drinks all available on the night as well as a hog roast and raffle.