A VILLAGE hall which dates back more than 100 years is set to be bought by its neighbours.

Residents of Whitekirk will take control of the hall after raising £22,000, which will go alongside a grant secured from the Scottish Land Fund at the end of last year.

The building dates back to 1903 when it was erected as a temporary church in Gullane.

It was then moved to Whitekirk, where it has been used for everything from wedding receptions to coffee mornings.

Eric Martin, from Whitekirk Community Company, which will take charge of the building, was delighted to see the funding in place.

The cash will open the door to see works carried out to further improve the building.

He said: “The hall used to be owned by the Women’s Institute and it was gifted by them to the Church of Scotland.

“They used it up until three or four years ago, when they decided they did not want to use it.

“We have taken it over and started looking after it but we did not own it.

“If you want grants or to improve it, you need to own the building.”

The Scottish Land Fund made a grant of £39,500 towards the end of last year.

However, that still left the community needing to raise £22,000; a figure which has now been reached.

Improvements to the red building have included the installation of a modern kitchen, as well as disabled toilet facilities.

Electrics and plumbing at the building have both been upgraded, while repair work has also been carried out on the roof.

Mr Martin said that the building had been used for wedding receptions, funeral teas and children’s parties.

He highlighted the importance of the hall to the village, which is made up of about 35 houses.

Mr Martin, who has lived in Whitekirk for about seven years, said: “It is the only place in the village where people can meet up. It is the centre of the village, emotionally and socially.”

Currently, the building is owned by the Church of Scotland.

After it moved from Gullane, the hall was sited on land owned by Sir David Baird, Newbyth Estate, for the use of Whitekirk SWRI.

It later became owned by the village’s SWRI and then the Kirk Session of St Mary’s Church, Whitekirk. . . for the princely sum of £1.

To support the hall, go to justgiving.com/campaign/tinhutappeal