VILLAGERS in Crudwell are reaping the benefits of hard work and determination after works to refurbish the much loved village hall have come to an end.

With the help of grants from Hills Waste, Malmesbury Area Board and the Bernard Sunley Trust, villagers in Crudwell began raising tens of thousands of pounds through 24 hour bike rides and other fundraising events to update the facilities originally built in the early 1990s with the work finally completed.

Annie Smith, chair of the independent trustees who run the hall on behalf of the community, said: "We are extremely grateful to all those who have helped to make this work possible. We have had support from Hills Waste Services under the Landfill grant scheme, the Malmesbury Area Board and the Bernard Sunley Trust.

"Our main local fundraising activities have come from the annual Crudwell 24 hour Bike Ride run by the fund raising sub-committee of the charity but we have also had support from the Crudwell Preschool.

"We now have a hall which is much better suited to the many groups which use it every week and on whose opinions the improvements were based, while remaining suitable for ‘ad hoc’ weekend bookings for birthdays and weddings.”

As a result of the funding, the village hall now boasts a new shower and toilet facility and a refurbished kitchen with dishwasher, cookers and a large fridge which can be used by sports groups, community groups and schools who meet regularly at the hall.

Yae Nakayama Wallis, chairman of Crudwell Pre-School added: "The upgrades have made a huge difference to the Pre-School. We now have extra storage space and a bright new kitchen to prepare the children’s lunches. It’s a much safer and friendlier environment for everyone."

While the latest refurbishment has brought the hall back into the 21st century, the committee hope they will be able to redecorate other parts of the hall in the near future.