Skirlaugh Village - An East Riding of Yorkshire Village

Skirlaugh Village Hall Gets 30k Grant

Residents are celebrating after winning cash from a £158,500 community pot for their village hall refurbishment. Jubilant villagers at Skirlaugh have moved a step closer to regenerating their rundown hall by being awarded £30,000 funding for the project.

They are among eight schemes from East Yorkshire, Hull and North Lincolnshire to share money from Waste Recycling Group's (WRG) landfill communities fund.

Skirlaugh Village Hall management committee will put the money towards the £126,000 project to breathe new life into the Beningholme Lane hall.

Village groups and organisations were left without a meeting place when the committee recently had to close the hall on health and safety grounds.

Helen Walker, committee secretary, said: "We are thrilled to bits to win the WRG grant. It means we have cleared another hurdle to reaching our goal.

"Over the past 10 years or so, villagers have raised £40,000 towards the scheme, and we hope to hear whether we have won a £45,000 grant in June.

"Things are now looking very positive and if everything comes together, work should start on the first phase in the summer."

The committee had originally planned to replace the hall with a new one, costing an estimated £550,000, but that idea was dropped in favour of the restoration.

Mrs Walker, of Rise Road, Skirlaugh, said: "The hall is a fabulous old building with real character.

"The 150-year-old hall was formerly the village school and has played a key part in villagers' lives, but badly needs modernising."

The work will include roof, floor and internal repairs, toilet and kitchen refurbishments and electrical and heating system upgrades.

The WRG grants, which are distributed by environmental body Wren, are to improve community life by enhancing existing facilities and providing new ones.

Ben Walker, Wren Humber project manager, said: "The projects we've funded will make a positive contribution to the community.

"We would encourage any organisations looking for funding to contact Wren and find out more about how the Landfill Communities Fund can help."

Other Hull and East Yorkshire schemes sharing the funding include Norwood Methodist Church. Beverley, refurbishment, £17,000; Hull St Johns Drypool community project, £30,000; Bridlington Baptist Place redevelopment, £18,000; Barmby Moor, near Pocklington, village hall extension, £25,000; and Dalton Holme, near Beverley, village hall roof fund, £12,000.