AN APPEAL to Whitchurch residents to dig deep and help fund the costs of a new village hall has sparked a flurry of generous donations.
Whitchurch Village Hall Trust has distributed a letter asking for help in reaching its target of £194,000 to cover the costs of the development.
The trust is now £34,000 short of the magic figure, having amassed £160,000 through the sale of the previous site and numerous fundraising events over the last few years.
Trust chairman Richard Spackman said the latest appeal had already got people reaching for their wallets.
'About £1,000 has come in in the last few days, as a result of the letter,' he said. 'We received an anonymous cheque for £500 in the last week.'
He said a roll of honour naming anyone who donated more than £100 would be permanently displayed in the entrance to the new hall.
'£34,000 sounds like a large sum of money, and indeed it is, but it
actually equates to less than £10 per head for everyone who lives in the Whitchurch area,' he said.
The hall will be used for all aspects of community life, from WI and scout meetings to practice sessions for the local brass band and theatre groups.
It will also be available for exhibitions and private functions, including wedding receptions.
Mr Spackman said an earlier application for lottery funding for the building project had been turned down on grounds of 'lack of community involvement'.
'What better way to prove them wrong than by us all putting our hands in our pockets,' he added.
'Any donation will go towards helping so many worthwhile groups and their activities in providing a community centre we can all use and be proud of.'