LOCAL fundraising reaching more than £40,000 has enabled much-needed refurbishment work to get the go-ahead at Barnsley Village Hall, near Cirencester.

The village of Barnsley does not have a large enough population for a parish council, but does run a parish meeting which voted in November to adopt a working party of six members that would oversee planned improvements of the hall, including gathering funding.

Stephanie Cushing, secretary to the working party, said: “Our aim is to make it the best looking village hall in the Cotswolds.

“It’s small, but improvements were needed to increase the amount of functions which are held here. We also wanted it to look less like a typical village hall.”

Donations were gathered from Cotswold District Council Community Development Fund, Summerfield Trust, Garfield Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Barnsley Village and Barnsley PCC, allowing the work to begin on January 4.

The construction, undertaken by local contractor Ian Franklin, looks to fix health and safety issues regarding the toilets, and add disabled toilet access, as well as improve heating and lighting issues, redecoration and a redesign of the kitchen to increase the potential of the hall as a place for functions and as a focal point of the village.

Stephanie said local suppliers had also provided materials at cut prices, with the first phase of the project set to be finished by April 23 in time for a St George’s Day re-launch.

The village hall is not a listed building but is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Conservation Area, used to hold Barnsley parish meetings, weekly pilates classes, occasional children’s parties, the annual Barnsley Village Festival teas and catering, the Harvest supper evenings and various other functions booked during the year.

The hall is also used by a local student as a quiet area in which he can carry out his studies.

However, this usage barely covers running costs and it is hoped the improvements will allow the hall, the official place of refuge should the village be cut-off in severe weather, as defined in the Village Emergency Plan, to become self-funding.

A second phase of improvements, including repair of window catches and installation of timber shutters, will begin after May, as and when funds allow.

Projected expenditure for phase one is £45,500 and for phase two is £5,000-£10,000.