VILLAGE halls across Devon are to receive financial boosts to help pay for improvements, thanks to funding from Devon County Council. The village hall grant scheme, which is funded by the county council, helps pay for capital works, refurbishments and new builds of village halls. This year, £118,700 is being given to help fund village hall projects. County council leader Cllr Brian Greenslade said: ?The money is targeted at supporting village halls in recognition of the vital support they provide to community life in rural areas.? Broadwoodkelly?s is one of the halls to have benefitted from direct investment. It received a grant of £8,400 to go towards the total project cost of £36,071 needed for improvements. Broadwoodkelly Village Hall funding co-ordinator Daphne Gant said: ?We began a series of refurbishment projects in 2003. The initial work concentrated on making the structure of the building secure, then moved on to improving insulation in the roof and renewing the wooden floor. ?Devon County Council?s grant scheme has been fundamental in enabling Broadwoodkelly?s latest project ? the installation of a new kitchen and provision of facilities for the disabled ? to go ahead.? ?By tackling the overall refurbishment plan in structured phases the villagers of Broadwoodkelly have had time to raise their share of the cost of each project.?