A VILLAGE hall has received a welcome funding boost from the National Lottery.

Heddon-On-The-Wall’s Knott Memorial Hall received £17,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund. The money will be used to upgrade the building’s kitchen facilities.

The hall, which dates back to the 1930s, is operated by a board of trustees. Trustee David Blackett said: “The hall was built in 1936, and over the years we’ve tried to upgrade it without damaging the actual structure, or the ambience.

“One of the walls was damaged because, in 1939, a fence was removed to use the metal for tanks. This left lead inserts in the wall exposed, and over the years people have tried to prise it out to sell.

“We looked at it said we have to repair it.

“The National Lottery does various funding systems, but we were told that while the wall was a worthwhile project, the money is used for major projects.

“The only major project for us was the kitchen, which is at least 30 years old and looking past it.”

The trustees applied for the grant through a verbal application process, and were informed in December that the application had been successful.

It is hoped the renovation work, which is estimated to take 10 days, will be completed by summer, once a contractor is identified.

David added: “It knocked my socks off!

“I was doing some gardening when I found out and you could’ve knocked me over with a feather.

“The money will do lots of things – we can get rid of the water boilers, so the safety gets better, and it will be more hygienic.

“Being so close to Newcastle, people drive past and almost forget we’re a village. We’ve put a few events on, like the Christmas market, to show people they don’t have to go to Newcastle for entertainment. If you don’t use it, it will disappear.”