VILLAGERS who have taken over the management of their communal room are celebrating a £10,000 National Lottery award.
The Lottery Fund Awards for All cash was given to the Communal Room Association, which is responsible for the upkeep of the Dene Court Communal Room, in Hamsterley, near Consett.
The association took over the upkeep of the facility last year, after Derwentside District Council decided it could no longer afford to maintain it.
Association secretary Ray Ellis said: "The communal room is a very popular venue for organisations and people in the village and we really needed the money to carry out a lot of refurbishment work.
"The money will pay for new flooring, carpeting, a new kitchen and an upgrade of the heating system.
"It took quite a lot of work putting the bid together, but we are delighted that we were successful."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article