A HEREFORDSHIRE village has come together to celebrate the reopening of their parish hall after a two-year renovation.

On Sunday, August 1, the village of Yarpole, near Leominster, held an afternoon tea party to mark the re-opening of its parish hall after a substantial refurbishment.

Work began in 2019 when the hall was gifted an adjacent piece of land, and after a consultation with the community, it was used to build a wildlife garden and an extended car park.

Hereford Times: Coun Sebastian Bowen and Tim Jessop open the renovated hall. Picture: Jane Praill Coun Sebastian Bowen and Tim Jessop open the renovated hall. Picture: Jane Praill

In the two years since, the hall has had a new boiler, oil tank, gates, windows, curtains, sound system and flooring, as well as the instillation of a new community printer and other upgrades to facilities.

The village received 10 grants from various organisations to complete the refurbishments, including The Woodland Trust, Kingspan Community Trust, National Lottery Awards for All and the People’s Postcode Trust. Others came from family organisations such as the Rowlands Trust, Blakemore Trust and Bernard Sunley Trust.

Local grants were also received from Yarpole Parish Council, Yarpole Community Shop and Yarpole Flicks in the Sticks.

Jane Praill, treasurer of Yarpole Parish Hall, said: “It’s taken two years to get to this point. We’ve had delays because of bad weather and the pandemic. It’s been a big community effort.

“Yarpole is very much a community village. The hall is used a lot. We have sports and arts clubs there and exercise and dance classes.”

More than 80 people attended the reopening event, with the refurbished hall opened by Councillor Sebastian Bowen and Tim Jessop, a trustee of the Rowlands Trust.

Mrs Praill said: “The new garden and car parking area is a huge asset to the Parish Hall and community. The renovated hall is a welcoming, safe, cheery environment for the parishioners and visitors to enjoy.

“A huge thank you to our grant givers for their help. Without their generous grants we would not have been able to carry through any of these projects.”