A VILLAGE near Ledbury is getting ready to take possession of its new £215,000 hall.

The people of Wellington Health are due to receive the keys to the building at a handing-over ceremony on Saturday, October 1.

The official opening will take place on November 17 and will be performed by Bernadette Kearney, of BBC Midlands Today, who lives in Ledbury.

This will be follow by a service of dedication and remembrance.

The new village hall, which is just being finished off, represents the culmination of years of hard work by dedicated individuals. It will provide the village with a state-of-the-art meeting place to take it into the 21st Century.

Funding for the project came from the National Lottery's Community Fund and Awards for All scheme and other bodies such as the Eveson Charitable Trust and the Garfield Weston Trust. Villagers also raised funds themselves.

The builders are Harpers of Leominster and the work was supervised by architects the Osborne partnership of Eastnor.

John Jacobs, one of the organisers, said: "The old hall was erected in 1922 as a memorial to the soldiers of the First World War. It was a Nissen hut-type building which was originally an army hospital.

"It had come to the end of its life and that is why we decided to apply for lottery grants in the hope of building a new one."

The new building has a main room with stage, a committee room, a large storage area, kitchen and full toilet facilities, including disabled.

"We look forward to all the old village activities coming back and starting up again," said Mr Jacobs.

Among the users of the hall will be the parish council, which will hold its meetings there. The hall will also be used for youth games nights, meetings of the local horticultural society and meetings by local table tennis clubs. It will also be available for private hire.