PEOPLE at Westbury Parish Hall will be happy – after they have just been given the go-ahead for a new heating and insulation project.

The major project will be warmly welcomed as the cold weather outside continues to bite. The £40,000 project, which is being funded by a grant from the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust, starts this week and is set to continue over the spring.

An application for funding to the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust was made in August 2012 and involves replacing the existing single metal framed windows with uPVC windows, fitting a new boiler and installing a thermostatically-controlled heating system with three zones.

Parish Hall secretary, Nicola Donlon said: "This is a win-win project which will not only prove financially sound for the hall in terms of reducing the cost of energy bills but also the impact it has on the environment and comfort for its users."

The grant has also been boosted with help from landfill tax contributions donated by Cory Environmental, together with some sponsorship from local firm Glevum - Windows, Doors & Conservatories and funds raised by the Parish Hall.

She continued: "We are very grateful to the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust for providing extra funding for the insulation on top of our original application for the new heating system."

Stacey Hyett, who runs the local Bright Horizons Mothers and Toddlers Group, said: "We're delighted that this project is going ahead as it will be much easier to keep the hall warm for the children."