THE re-opening of a village hall after a major refurbishment project has been welcomed.

On Wednesday last week local councillors and Dummer residents joined together to mark the re-opening of Dummer Village Hall after the completion of a major project to install a new fuel-efficient heating system and the redecoration of the hall.

The project was made possible by a grant from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF).

The hall was closed for five weeks while a new high-efficiency boiler and hot water system was installed which involved major structural work and the removal of a large amount of asbestos.

The work for the project went to local firms as the asbestos removal was carried out by Jeto Asbestos Removal of Odiham, the new heating system was designed and installed by D. J. Harris of Andover while the redecoration and making good was completed on time and on budget by Heath Bros from Dummer.

Project manager and Dummer resident, Nikki Barker said : “We are all extremely grateful to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. With the help of our local councillors and support from several groups who use our hall we were able to secure a Local Infrastructure Fund grant that enabled us to upgrade the heating in Dummer Village Hall.

"This will result in a substantial saving in fuel costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions and make the hall attractive to more users. "We were also very pleased that we were able to use local contractors to carry out the work. "I would also pay tribute to the support and practical help we received from many villagers.”