A NEGLECTED village building is set to be transformed into an entertainments venue for the community after £225,700 of lottery funding was secured.

The management committee for Corby Glen’s Church Rooms has spent two years meticulously negotiating the grant-bidding stages of the Big Lottery Fund to secure nearly a quarter of a million pounds.

It means the Church Street building, situated next to the village post office, can be revamped with repairs and refits, including a refurbished main hall, renovated kitchen and new toilets.

The aim is to create a venue suitable for film screenings, drama productions, choir performances and important social events.

The committee is optimistic the funding boost will kickstart new organisations in the area while providing a valuable facility for existing groups. It says this is just the start, with plans to raise £50,000 to install an IT suite at the site as well.

Committee member Michael Howes, of Bourne Road, said all the hard work drawing up the application and going through various bidding stages has paid off with an “award for the village”.

He said: “We’re absolutely thrilled. A lot of people have been involved in this project. It’s taken a lot of hard work and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received.”

The building had fallen into neglect during the past decade but the revamp gives a nod back to a time when it had a significant position in the village.

According to Corby Glen Parish Council clerk the Rev Reg Rooke, it was an important community venue in the 1970s. He said: “A social survey for 1975 describes the church rooms as a hub for the village.”

Construction and refurbishment on the building is likely to take six months and the management committee hopes to have the church rooms open to the public by the end of the year.