THE Friends of Greig Hall are celebrating after raising an impressive £100,000 to help restore the Alcester hall for the community.

The Friends have raised the money largely from sales from their furniture shop Home2Home, which has been based in Hopkins Precinct for the past three years.

The furniture shop will soon temporarily close while the Friends look for a new premise in the town, as their current lease has expired.

In the meantime, shoppers in Alcester can bag a bargain as all stock at the shop is currently half price.

The money raised by the Friends will help towards renovating the hall, which has been closed for the past ten years.

Crucial restoration works are already underway thanks to the hard work of a band of determined volunteers, with the Friends aiming to fully open the building in Spring next year.

Shelaigh Goode, who helped found the Friends group, said she was "thrilled" by the amount raised, but fundraising will continue to restore the hall to its former glory.

She added: "£100,000 for a building of that size doesn’t go very far so we will have to carry on fundraising.”

The hall was a key venue for dances, performances and wedding receptions and even had a sprung dance floor.

Once reopened, it is hoped the venue will be used as a community hall and arts venue.

The Friends will be holding a Christmas fayre both inside and outside the building on December 4, so the community can have a look at how work on the hall is progressing.

Sheilagh added: "It's a chance for the community to have the opportunity to see the hall and what we're doing, as some people may have moved to the town since it closed and have never known it to be open."