A NEW community centre that will serve three north Hampshire villages has opened.

The £97,000 Newnham Clubroom, in Newnham Road, replaces the old village hall and will serve the populations of Newnham, Nately Scures and Water End.

The old hall, built in the 1950s, had structural problems with its walls and roof which gave rise to damp.

PC Andrew Reid, beat officer for Newnham parish, officially opened the hall at a celebration event held a year after the old hall closed for demolition.

More than 70 people attended – the majority of whom stayed on for a harvest festival supper.

Roger Booth, chairman of Newnham Parish Council, also gave a speech.

He told The Gazette: “It really was a very good evening. The clubroom we had before was falling apart and was cold and this one is warm and cosy. I think everybody had a great time.”

The hall was built after five years of fundraising, including a £25,000 grant from The Veolia Environmental Trust.

It is the same size as the previous single-storey building, and has a kitchen, better toilet facilities with an improved sewage system, and better insulation.

It is hoped it will be used by community groups and for private functions.

Project leader Peter Brown, the treasurer of the Newnham Clubroom Committee, said: “Since the hall has been closed, residents just haven’t had the opportunity to regularly meet with other villagers like they used to. Newnham Clubroom is at the heart of Newnham’s community and we can not wait to see it being used and enjoyed again for another 55 years.”