Silvester Horne Institute in £77,000 funding bid

Bosses behind a £77,000 renovation project at a south Shropshire community hall have revealed plans to bid for major funding in the run-up to Christmas.

Members of the Silvester Horne Community Project Partnership plan to bid for about £50,000 through Shropshire Council's Market Towns Revitalisation Programme to pay for a new extension and refurbishment at the Silvester Horne Institute, in Church Stretton.

It is hoped the bid will be made by the end of the year with a view to work starting in 2011.

It comes just a month after the venue missed out on a huge slice of funding when an application to Shropshire Council's community fund was rejected.

It comes after partnership bosses held a fundraising event to show off their plans for the venue in the town last weekend. The event was well attended and a number of residents expressed their support for the scheme.

The Market Towns Revitalisation Programme includes a £2.5 million fund for larger market towns in Shropshire, of which Church Stretton has been allocated £225,000. The money will be available to spend on schemes which will provide an immediate stimulus to the towns involved.