MORE than £60,000 worth of further grants have been won towards the continued refurbishment of the St Briavels community owned Assembly Rooms.

£50,000 of the funding has been approved in principal from Forest of Dean Local Action, part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which is supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Trustee Karen Cockfield said: "This latest grant success is fantastic news and a real boost for St. Briavels after years of hard slog and fund-raising to save the Assembly Rooms, under threat of closure not so many years ago.

"This latest grant was only made possible by a vital match fund contribution of £10,000 from the Summerfield Charitable Trust, a £1,000 residual grant from our Parish Council and of course the efforts of the stalwarts in the community who for years now have continued to assist with fund-raising events.

"Without them this latest phase of refurbishment would simply not be possible. Even our builders, Paul James and Alan Challenger of Advanced Roofing, have entered into the spirit of the project and have made contributions or extra work that has cropped up outside of the tight budget.

"Many passers-by have commented on what an excellent job they are doing and how quickly they have got stuck in and on with it in all weathers, even during the high winds and rain. They have been brilliant and have managed to keep the rooms open for most of the time."

In the last few years the current Assembly Rooms committee has raised £214k in grants on the behalf of the community.

"When complete, these renovations will provide a far more flexible, open plan and adaptable community space which can accommodate a wider range of usage and services to support all the needs of a remote rural parish," Karen added.

"The intention is to provide a part-time retail outlet for local produce and crafts a couple of days a week, to run alongside an internet café and fully equipped 'hot office' and meeting room to support home-based business people, plus a Tourist Information Point and postal services or a visiting Post Office in the future.

"We also hope to have a monthly Citizens Advice Bureau running as well as visiting health services such as chiropody plus ad hoc visiting agencies such as Police Information Points, the street warden and the senior citizens village agent.

"The aim is to have a building and services within it that are able to easily and continually adapt around the community's needs, rather than defining the space and limiting its use.

"The only remaining work to find further funds for in the near future will be to re-roof the main hall and to bring the old Reading Room back into use, which is a lovely, first floor room with a huge stained glass window. So phase 4 refurbishment will hopefully be our last - and the Assembly Rooms will have finally been resurrected to support rural living for many future generations to come."