A £227,000 scheme to revamp an old village hall is set to get under way next month.

The Goldhanger Village Hall improvement project is due to start on April 8 to provide much-needed improvements such as modern toilets with baby-changing facilities, a cloakroom, new spacious entrance and disabled access.

The work will be carried by Tiptree-based Aquanera Construction and is expected to be completed towards the end of July.

Focus group head Chris Joslin said: “This is great news for our community.

“It has been made possible by the magnificent support from the Goldhanger residents, dedicated work from the village hall committee members and many funding organisations who have recognised the importance of this project in an incredibly competitive arena.

“The most recent of these is the Maldon Salt Company who has joined our partnership of funding organisations.

“It is extremely rewarding to know that this company of international acclaim, with its saltworks in the parish, has recognised the hard work and support of the whole village and the importance of this project to the well-being of the community.”

The extension was given planning permission in March 2017 and is intended to make the hall an accessible and inclusive community space, especially for more isolated and vulnerable residents.

Other funding partners include Goldhanger Parish Council, the Big Lottery Fund, Essex County Council community initiatives fund and Tesco. In January and February, the village collected tokens for the Tesco Bags of Help fund.