A village hall has been given a new lease of life thanks to a major refurbishment.
Piddinghoe Village Hall, believed to have once been a farm building dating back to the end of the First World War, has been transformed following a successful £185,000 fundraising campaign.
Sarah Woolger, chair of the Piddinghoe Village Hall Committee, said: "For a small village with 250 residents, raising £185,000 was a significant achievement.
"Every villager present played their part in providing pledges, donations, equipment and of course a lot of self help.
"We are so very grateful to all those organisations who provided funding and in particular to those representatives here today. Councillor Paul Davies of Lewes District Council who gave us £38,700 in funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy and James MacCleary MP and ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) who gave us £31,500 from the Government’s Platinum Jubilee Fund.
"All this shows what a small rural village can achieve."
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Key improvements include a new kitchen, full insulation, accessible toilets with a separate entrance and step-free access throughout the building.
The upgraded hall now features an open vaulted roof, skylights, a larger floor area, and improved accessibility.
The building also now boasts solar panels and battery storage to improve energy efficiency.
Guests at the reopening on Saturday, July 19, included Lewes District Council chair Councillor Paul Davies, Newhaven Mayor Councillor Kim Bishop, and Lewes MP James MacCleary.
