EFFORTS to refurbish a community hall have been boosted with the award of a £5,000 grant.

Members of the Mainsforth and District Community Association are celebrating the decision by the County Durham Foundation to award the money to help efforts to breathe new life into the hall in Ferryhill Station.

Much of the money will be used to buy a static hearing and portable loop for the hearing impaired, plus 200 chairs and extra tables.

A spokeswoman for the committee said: "The grant will mean that in the future, visitors to shows or classes will no longer have to sit on old, uncomfortable chairs.

"And people who are hard of hearing need not miss part of any shows. Many thanks to all involved in making this possible."

The origins of the hall go back to the First World War, when the building costs were met by local miners who agreed to a few pence a week being taken out of their wages to fund the work.

Miners and their families used it for leisure activities, health and education, and held political meetings there.

But when the mines closed, the hall deteriorated and became less of a focus for the community.

The building is now held in trust by a management committee for as long as it can afford the upkeep.

The committee is hoping to restore it so the community can make full use of the facility.