IN THE midst of the foot and mouth crisis one community has something to celebrate — a two-year campaign to bring Spreyton Village Hall into the 21st century has finally paid off with the announcement of a lottery grant of £193,950.

With its leaky roof and more or less condemned kitchen, the old army shed that is Spreyton Village Hall is well past its sell-by date and this money has come just at the right time, said fundraising co-ordinator Joe Hall.

'It has saved our bacon really,' he said. 'We have not been able to use the kitchen properly for months and months — you can just about make a cup of tea in it and the roof sprang several leaks in the gales.

Over the past two years £40,000 has been raised locally from events, donations and pledges and with the grant from the National Lotteries Charities Board it means that all the money is in place to complete the work within the next seven months.

'It is wonderful news and there is a real buzz around the village,' said Mr Hall. 'There will be an extraordinary meeting of the Spreyton Village (George Lambert Memorial) Trust next week to which everybody is invited and then it will be down the pub afterwards to celebrate.'

Almost all of Spreyton's 250 residents use the hall — situated on the village playing fields — for one purpose or another and a large number of activities and events take place there. The Methodists use it as a place of worship, school children as a gym and the parish council as a meeting place. It is also a venue for the tennis, badminton, football and cricket clubs and tai chi, and hosts meetings, discos, dances, whist drives and parent and toddler sessions.

Proposed activities to be added to this list after the refurbishment are keep fit, adult education, drama and musical evenings and a pensioners' club, bridge club and video club.

Mr Hall said the army shed had been used by the community for 50 years but it was now 'falling to pieces'.

'Basically the whole thing will be ripped down but the footings will stay,' he said. 'The walls will be rebuilt and a new roof will go on.

We have a lovely site here with fantastic views of Dartmoor so the new hall will complete the picture.'

Car parking will also be provided for at least 20 cars and the area will be landscaped.

Mr Hall paid tribute to West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett, who had been 'very helpful' in the campaign and the Lambert family, who left the playing fields to the village as a memorial to their son who died in a car accident at a young age. They have continued to support the hall.

John Burnett said Spreyton was such a deserving case and he had been absolutely delighted to support the funding application.

'It is marvellous news, especially at a time when good news is hard to come by,' he said. 'I congratulate the trust on their superb efforts. It has been a pleasure to work with them and the village on this project.'