A LONG-AWAITED community hall on the outskirts of Durham has opened its doors to the public after a five-year fundraising campaign to get it built.

Belmont has not had a venue for community activities for more than 14 years, but the area now has a £677,000 parish hall in the grounds of St Mary Magdalene Church.

The finishing touches are still being applied to the centre but already groups from Belmont and Carrville are using it. On Saturday, people in the area were invited to visit and have a look around.

The hall was built with funding from local scouts and guides, Durham City Council, Belmont Parish Council, the Big Lottery Fund, Biffa Waste and the Durham Diocese as well as money raised by parishioners.

One fundraising scheme was the sale of engraved bricks.

The centre has a large dividable hall, meeting rooms, kitchen and offices and will be used by scouts and guides who have been without a home since the area's Scout Hut, and later the Old School Centre, closed.

The scouts and guides contributed to the hall appeal money they had started raising for a new home.

The centre will be available for a wide range of community groups and activities and an official opening ceremony is expected to be held early next year.

"We have not had anywhere to bring people together for a long time, and Belmont and Carrville is quite a big community,'' said Ray Tones, of the hall appeal committee.

"We are very proud of it. It is something we wanted to do for the parish. It will bring the people of the parish together on different occasions. It is a wonderful achievement.

"Although it was instigated by church people, it isn't a church hall, it is a parish hall. The church has the use of it, but it is for everyone in the parish.''

The building work, which started at the beginning of the year, had been expected to be completed in the summer but was hit by delays and Mr Tones said it had been decided to hold the official opening after Christmas, in January or early February.

"It is being used spasmodically now. There are groups using it. We are getting the furniture and have been fitting it out for the last three weeks.''