Church secures funding for £45,000 hall revamp scheme

St Barnabas Church hall, in Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street is used by people of all ages in the community.

It is home to karate clubs, exercise classes, flower festivals, exhibitions and concerts.

Despite the fact it has only been open 20 years, the hall has been in desperate need of refurbishment to update its worn-out facilities and make it accessible to the disabled.

Now the church has been given a £44,700 grant to modernise the hall. It was awarded by Biffa Waste Services, the company responsible for restoring the landfill site at the former Houghton quarry in Houghton-le-Spring.

The grant includes a £4,470 contribution from the Diocese of Durham Board of Finance.

The Reverend Nicholas Chamberlain, of St Barnabas Church, said the modernisation work should begin this summer.

He said: "We have quite a lot of different groups that use the facility and obviously we want to improve it for them and other people who would like to use it as well.

"One of the main things that will be done is resurfacing the car park outside the hall. At the moment it is a safe place for parents to drop their children off at school and it is very muddy.

"But that's another aim - to make sure that the facility is available for the community."

Other work will include refitting the kitchen, laying heavy-duty flooring and carpet in the classroom area, building a disabled toilet, cleaning and painting the hall and installing double-glazing.

Many of the hall's other fittings have worn-out, since they were installed when it opened in 1983, and they will also be replaced.

The money was awarded through Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund that utilises landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services.

Chairman of Biffaward, Martin Bettington, said: "Biffaward is pleased to award the grant to St Barnabas.

"The refurbishment work will provide modern and safe facilities which can be used by local groups and visitors for many years to come."