A SOUTH Lakeland community is celebrating after a new £400,000 village hall was re-opened.

The old Brigsteer and Helsington Village Hall - a Nissen hut which served the parish for 52 years - was demolished over a year ago.

Thanks to numerous fundraising events and grants from organisations such as The Big Lottery, the Clothworkers’ Foundation and The Cumb-ria Community Foundation, the new hall has been given an eco-friendly specification.

It was opened by Hal Bagot of Levens Hall, whose father donated the land for the original village hall.

The new hall was designed and built to maximise the solar energy gained from its south facing position and it is equipped with a wood pellet boiler plus heavy insulation made from recy-cled materials, making it as sympathetic to its environ-ment as possible.

“We are looking forward to welcoming an increasing number of activities from the surrounding areas,” said Richard Griffiths, chairman of the village hall management committee.

“This has been the result of a community working together and we hope it will continue to play a very important part in village life for generations to come.

"The opening is testament to the strength of community spirit in Helsington.

“Residents not only initiated the new hall but also project-managed the build, raised the funds and will manage it on a day-to -day basis.”