VILLAGE halls are a vital hub for rural areas and they need to be supported.

So it was with delight – and a sigh of relief – that the charity that run Crudwell Village Hall received the final £5,000 they needed to renovate the building.

The funding was passed at last week’s Malmesbury Area Board, much to the elation of the charity members who attended that evening.

It’s taken five years for them to get to this point but the work can finally begin and the hall will be brought into the twentieth century at last.

Dilapidated, unused toilets and showers will be stripped out, making space for a bigger storage room, and the kitchen will be upgraded in due course.

The news has been music to the ears of staff at the pre-school that runs out of the village hall.

The work will enable them to store ‘soft play’ equipment which means children will be able to exercise inside during bad weather.

It is a shame in some ways that is has taken so long to get to this point, however the important thing is the village is there now.

A truly modern village hall opens up opportunities for the village.

It will allow a wider range of activities and events to be held there, which is a great thing for residents.