A damaged church hall roof in Upper Studley, Trowbridge, is not leaking anymore, following an enormous fundraising effort by the St John’s Church congregation and others who use the hall.

Fundraising has been going on since the roof started leaking in January, with more than £27,000 raised through grants and donations to cover the repairs.

The church received a £10,000 grant from The Hills Group through the Landfill Communities Fund, £5,000 from Trowbridge Area Board, £3,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation and £500 from Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust.

A further £5,000 was raised by the church congregation, and to celebrate the new roof a special ceremony was held in the church on Sunday, October 12, followed by refreshments in the hall.

Jane Solman, secretary of St John’s Hall Committee, said: “It was a lovely celebration and following the church service we had prayers at the new church hall, before having wine and nibbles.

“There were around 100 people in attendance and it was great to see the hall back in use again, as many community groups use it, including the Brownies and Guides. It is also regularly used for parties and other events.

“Many people worked very hard in applying for the grants to fund the roof repairs and we also had people making donations and holding fundraising activities.

“The whole roof needed replacing as we had been having problems for a while, but the bad weather in January was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

She said: “We also needed work done inside the hall due to damage caused by the rain. It is a busy building and one that is integral to the community, so it is great to have it back looking better than ever. We want to thank everyone who helped out along the way.”