The Committee of Ribchester Village Hall is celebrating after being awarded £10,000 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

This grant funding could not come at a better time. It will be used to make some much-needed improvements to the fabric and facilities of our Village Hall, thereby directly benefiting the many local people and social groups for whom the Hall acts as an important community hub. 

Planned work on the building includes urgent replacement of the 'crash' Fire Exit door to the rear of the building, which has become warped and much degraded over the last few years - especially whilst the Hall was out of use in Lockdown.  In addition, we will be undertaking decorating work to improve the overall look and feel of the building and intend to replace some key provisions, such as chairs and crockery.

Installation of broadband, a hearing loop, and LED lighting are other investments that are planned with this grant.

Work will begin immediately and all improvements should be completed by the end of October 2023.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund distributes a share of this to projects to support people and communities to prosper and thrive. During the pandemic, in 2020 alone, The National Lottery Community Fund distributed almost £1 billion to charities and community organisations across the UK.

Alan Tomlinson, Chair of the Village Hall Committee said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we are delighted that we can now invest in some urgent improvements to our building, which will benefit absolutely every person who makes use of our much-loved community space.”