RESIDENTS who have been raising funds for the past six years to replace their village hall have received £12,000 in donations in a month.

People living in Welburn, near Malton, are aiming to build a hall to replace the existing 80-year-old asbestos-clad building.

The project is likely to cost between £100,000 and £150,000 and attempts are being made to secure funding from a wide range of organisations, as well as through local events.

The hall, in Church Lane also serves the communities of Bulmer, Crambeck, Coneysthorpe and Whitwell.

Treasurer Jill Waterson said: "We have raised as much in the past month as we have during the past six years as a result of an appeal we made to our residents. It's been a fantastic response."

She said the hall was desperately in need of replacement.

"Its present condition doesn't encourage people to use it, although many organisations do, but with a smart new hall we are sure it will be in big demand.

"If we were to lose the hall, we should lose the heart of the village."

In the past four years, the shop, post office and Methodist chapel in Welburn have all closed.

Dorothy Smith, who ran the shop and post office for more than 30 years and is also a member of the village hall committee, said: "We have a thriving village pub and primary school, but a good village hall is vital for the community because we don't have good public transport."

The original hall was built in 1928 at a cost of just under £576. It was gifted to the local Women's Institute by Lady Carlisle of Castle Howard and later became the property of the village.