THE ROOF of North Cerney Memorial Village Hall is being replaced after surviving more than 50 years.

The replacement will be funded by grants from Gloucestershire Environment Trust and Cotswold District Council, and by money raised from events in the hall over the past 18 months.

Contractors, Colman Roofing of Swindon, began work on Tuesday, April 19 and are expected to complete the project over the next two weeks.

The hall, which was built from traditional Cotswold stone in 1926 to commemorate those who died in World War One, has been undergoing major refurbishment since 2012.

The first refurbishment saw the installation of new toilet facilities, disabled persons’ access and the building’s internal and external redecoration.

The second refurbishment, completed for North Cerney’s WWI commemoration in 2014, saw the hall’s ‘Green Room’ being re-built.

And the third refurbishment, the re-roofing of the building, is now underway.

Gloucestershire Environmental Trust contributed £13,766 towards the project and Cotswold District Council provided £6,258 from its Community Project Fund.

The balance of just over £5,000 is coming from funds raised at events in the hall for its ‘Raise the Roof’ appeal and from other donations.

Chairman of the hall’s management committee, Denise Ewbank, said: “When we started planning the refurbishment back in 2011, it seemed like a huge mountain to climb.

"But here we are, thanks to the hugely generous grant funding of Gloucestershire Environmental Trust and Cotswold District Council, about to secure the future of the hall for the next 30 to 50 years.”

“Without this crucial financial support to replace the roof, despite what we have already achieved, the building would eventually have fallen into disrepair so it was absolutely vital that we communicated that message to our prospective funders.

"Thankfully they listened and understood, and we are hugely grateful to them for helping us achieve this in record time.”

Over the last 12 months, close to £1.5 million has been awarded to community projects in Gloucestershire by the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust.