A VILLAGE hall is getting a new £70,000 extension.

The improvement project at Sinnington Village Hall will create a larger storeroom and an additional meeting room, which will be linked to the existing hall.

Work has already started and the building work should be finished in September.

Eric Ward, the village hall chairman, said the scheme has been in the planning since 2015.

He said: “It’s been a long haul to get the building plans off the ground and there has been a tremendous community effort to get this far, especially to raise the funds.”

It is costing £70,000 to complete the work with much of that coming from grant-making bodies, as well as £15,000 from village hall funds and £10,400 raised from events and appeals in the village.

“Without the help from so many residents we could not have seen this project fulfilled,” said Mr Ward.

“This latest upgrade means we will have a larger storage area and a small meeting room, allowing dual use of the Hall as well as an additional funding stream with another room for hire.”

The village hall was a school until 1971 when the parish council raised funds to buy it from the county council and Lady Lumley’s Educational Foundation.

Since then a kitchen and new toilets, plus disabled access have been the main improvements, along with an external storeroom.

Grant-making bodies which have supported the project include the Kirkby Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation, Ryedale District Council’s Community Fund, Sir George Martin Trust, Holbeck Charitable Trust, Jack Brunton Charitable Trust, Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust and the Police Commissioner’s Community Fund.

The North York Moors National Park has also made a grant to fund restoration of the existing gothic windows of the hall and Action with Communities for Rural England has approved a loan to cover a shortfall in the extension funding.

The work is being carried out by the Sinnington-based builder JB Mitchell and Sons Ltd.