Villagers and councillors celebrated an official opening of a �50,000 newly refurbished village hall reading room.

The Weston Village Hall Reading Room opening took place on Friday.

A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the event by North Herts District Council’s (NHDC’s) chairman, Joan Kirby. A ribbon leading in to the refurbished room was cut by Gill Wheatley who managed the project on behalf of the hall committee.

The first phase of the project to refurbish the hall was completed in March 2010 and the latest phase involved refurbishing the village hall reading room, a community space that adjoins the main village hall at the back of the building.

The refurbishment work centred around removing an existing wall and extending the room towards Jackson’s Lane. New access stairs, entrance doors and lobby area were created together with new improved kitchen and toilet facilities.

The roof of the reading room also received a much-needed upgrade.

Liz Green, NHDC’s head of policy and community services said: “This is a shining example of what can be achieved when the community works together on a project.

“We are proud to be able to supporting the refurbishment of the Reading Rooms at Weston Village Hall. It will be a great benefit to everyone in the village and will continue to be for many years to come.”