A new village hall has opened in Grundisburgh after 30 years of the village waiting.

Grundisburgh Village Hall sits, just off Ipswich Road, and replaces the old hall on the same road near to the junction with Felgate Way.

The old hall was full of damp and mould and is being replaced with two houses built by contractors, DAB, who also built the new hall.

Bryan Laxton, chair of the new Grundisburgh Village Hall, said he was overwhelmed by the positive response by the public.

He explained more than 500 visited during their first open day and cannot believe how positive the response has been.

It costs in total around £750,000 to build the 2,000 sq ft hall that contains a bar, kitchen, meeting room, and toilets and 50 car parking spaces outside.

It has been a long struggle to get the centre for the community built and it involved a lot of fundraising from Grundisburgh residents.

Mr Laxton added that this is the third attempt to open a new village hall which has taken more than 30 years to find the right location to put it.

"My neighbours moved here 38 years ago and they said the first meeting they went to was about the village hall," he said.

Community fundraising events including cake sales, bike rides and pantomimes within the village helped to raise almost £100,000.

A further £200,000 of grant funding was awarded to the project by the National Lottery Community Fund alongside almost £50,000 from other grant-giving entities which will all go towards the new hall.

So far it's had booking for people looking to get their decade milestone birthdays celebrated and one couple who has waited two years to hold a wedding reception due to Covid restrictions.

It will have a drama club, bowls, youth, folk, a ladies choir, pilates and singing ducklings groups meeting regularly in the new hall.

To book please email bookings@gnvh.co.uk.