MANY months of fundraising by villagers of all ages has enabled a community to raise more than £60,000 needed to redevelop its village hall.

Plant sales, domino drives, treasure hunts and a Girl Guides’ beetle drive are just a few of the events that have helped raise the tens of thousands of pounds needed to build the long-awaited extension to Kirkby Fleetham Village Hall.

The hall’s committee has been raising funds to develop and extend the existing building to cater for its increased use for all members of the communities of Kirkby Fleetham, Great and Little Fencote and Great Langton.

Now the committee’s target of £60,000 has been met and work can begin.

Local events raised £10,750 of the money and involved all ages - Kirkby Fleetham CE Primary School raised £336, a beetle drive by the local Girl Guides raised £111.

Other local fundraisers included open garden events, plant sales, talks, bridge afternoons, domino drives, an attic auction, a Burns’ Night supper and a bicycle and car treasure hunt.

The rest of the funding came from grants, including £24,180 fromYorventure, through funds generated by Yorwaste Ltd. The village hall committee received £15,179 from donations.

In total, £76,800 was raised.

Other funding was received from The Big Lottery, The Bernard Sunley Trust, The Bedale and Villages Community Forum, The Garfield Weston Foundation and the Jack Brunton Trust.

The co-chair of the village hall committee, Jean Morley, said: “We are thrilled with the generous grants we have received as the competition for funding is tough.

"We are delighted that the case we submitted to organisations including Yorventure and the Big Lottery were clearly so compelling. This development will make a real impact for good on our community”.

Work on the development, which will see an extension to accommodate a new multi-activity room, new toilets with disabled access and new storage facilities to free up the hall floor will commence within the next few weeks and is hoped to be complete by the end of the year.

Now the committee intend to embark on their next fundraising drive for the facility.

Co-chair Sheila Minto said: “We now have our sights set on replacing the floor, which will enhance the hall’s use by the local primary school and other special interest clubs who use the facility on a regular basis."