Village hall opened by minister

People in the village of Rock, near Bewdley, celebrated as Government minister Ian Pearson officially opened their new £700,000 village hall.

Building work on the project began in November 2004 when fundraisers managed to gain about £300,000 from the Big Lottery and more than £100,000 from the Severn Waste Environmental Fund.

The Minister of State for Climate Change and the Environment, who is also Dudley South MP, arrived early today to tour the building before unveiling a plaque.

He later viewed an exhibition of the work which was also on show to villagers.

The village hall replaces one built in 1949 which was beyond economic repair. It is seen as a flagship "green" project using recycled hemp for insulation, collected water for toilet flushing and with all the timber from forestry stewardship programmes.

Mr Pearson described the building as "a shining example of sustainability in action". Ralph Rounds, chairman of the village hall sub-committee and project co-ordinator, said: "This hall is the centre of the community and we are delighted by its completion."