A north-east village hall – burned down five years ago – has been rebuilt.
St Combs’ Hall committee have restored their community hub, hailing the efforts of local people who pulled together to bring it back into operation.
Hall committee member John Milton said that the group had begun to look to the future after seeing 500 people pass through its doors on its opening day on August 30.
Recalling the razing of the building in 2009, which he called an “absolutely disaster,” Mr Milton explained that using a combination of the insurance money gai, and funding from grants and outside sources, the committee members chose to press on with a rebuild.
“That, basically, put in place the money for the hall. Now, it’s probably one of the best ones in the north-east at this moment in time,” Mr Milton said.
He added that the new eco-friendly hall, which is heated by ground-sourced pumps and has solar panels, had also been the subject of a grant from the Green Energy Trust, a charity which helps community-based renewable energy projects get off the ground.
Mr Milton continued: “It’s been a lot of work for the committee, but it’s fantastic how the community has pulled together.
“We don’t want to look back anymore. We want to look forward. It’s just given the village its community spirit back – I’m delighted.”
Last night, Aberdeenshire Council’s area manager for Buchan, Chris White, praised the work of the hall committee in providing such a fantastic facility.
He added: “It has been supported by a lot of friends and we are proud to have been able to contribute. I am sure that it will be well used and it was great to see such a diverse range of people at the opening.”