A NEW £400,000 village hall to serve the parish of Chatburn is a step nearer to reality with the newly formed committee now gearing itself up for some serious fundraising.

Last year residents' views were sought on the building of a new community centre.

The present village hall, on Downham Road is used for parish council committee meetings, but it is too small for community use, lacks car parking space and would cost too much to refurbish.

The consultation revealed strong support for a new centre and the Chatburn and District Community Centre Committee was formed.

A donation of £150 from the parish council allowed the new group, made up of members of the community and representatives of village committees, to open a bank account and pay for costs incurred during its initial campaign.

It is now looking to attract grants to help towards a feasibility study.

But first the group needs to find a suitable site for the new centre. It has looked at a number of possibilities but currently favours transforming part of the playing fields.

"We need to look at somewhere central to the village," said committee member Rodney Reid.

" There will be several different ages of people using the new hall so it is important it is accessible. It's also important for it to be somewhere it can be expanded if necessary,"

In the meantime, a visit to neighbouring village halls, such as those in West Bradford and Bolton-by-Bowland, is on the agenda to look at the facilities which can be provided. The group also intends to look at the new village hall in Chipping.

There will be a fundraising Valentine's dance in the school hall on February 17. Tickets are £6 each and can be bought from Bicknell's newsagents or Burgess' butchers in the village.

All proceeds will go towards the community centre fund.