TIPTON residents will have to wait to celebrate the completion of a £110,000 make-over of their community hall.

TIPTON residents will have to wait to celebrate the completion of a £110,000 make-over of their community hall.

A planned open day in the building was due to take place on Saturday (November 8) but flooding in the village has meant a postponement for the event.

Trustee for development Mike Anderson said: " As a result of the freak storm to hit East Devon early on Thursday morning the adjacent primary school was flooded and for the next few weeks the Community Hall will be used as temporary classrooms whilst the school building is being cleaned and repaired. This is a typical example of the village's community spirit to help each other out and the fact that we have just had a new extension built onto the Community Hall, funded by a major grant from the Big Lottery, has meant that we have been able to come up with a solution virtually on site, without having to consider more drastic options."

Work has seen the construction of an extension to house a small hall area and ladies toilets along with the addition of a solar-panel assisted heating system, computers with broadband internet access and a digital projector. Volunteer villagers repainted the main hall over the summer.

Trustees of the Tipton St John Community Hall Trust will host an open morning next Saturday, November 8, to celebrate and showcase improvements, funded by a major grant from the Big Lottery.

In 2006, the hall was boosted by £30,000 of investment from charities, fundraising and local organisations which saw the installation of a commercial kitchen and new disabled and gents toilets.