Lotto jackpot for village

Lottery funding to the tune of £345,000 was used to help rebuild Singleton Village Hall

But after £345,000 of Lotto funding came their way, the people of Singleton and the surrounding villages are celebrating a brand new building to be enjoyed by everyone.

The new look hall, to replace the previous incarnation built in 1926, has been functional for a fortnight now after the vilalge’s parish council successfully applied for the cash back in November last year.

And Coun Maxine Chew, who represents the village on Fylde Borough Council, believes the transformation has been almost total.

She said: “Our old village hall was just an asbestos shell.

“There was no insulation and it was freezing in the winter.

“During the cold winters of 2009 and 2010 it was almost unusable, it wasn’t a pleasant place to be.

“The new hall has only properly been in use for two full weeks and we can’t believe how many people have used it already.”

Plans are already afoot for a Hallowe’en family party and village Christmas dinner later this year.

The Lancashire Gardens Trust has already hosted an event there, while the hall has also held its very first Christening party.

And the new look hall also serves nearby villages such as Little Eccleston and Hardhorn, which don’t have similar facilities available.

Coun Chew added: “There are villages that haven’t got community halls so it is to cover the wider area as well.

“These communities are very rural and our research two years ago identified there was a lot of isolation and loneliness among older people.

“We based our bid on the people who needed it most - the older and people and the young too, because we want teenagers to have somewhere to socialise.”

Follow us on twitter @The_Gazette and like our page on facebook to keep up with all the latest news.