Stockbridge is celebrating the opening of its refurbished town hall.

Local civic chiefs Hugh Saxton and David Baseley will officially open the new wing at 6.30pm today, Friday March 19.

A reception and a chance to tour the new extension will be held after the ceremony.

Work to build the extension started in April 2009 and involved the demolition of the cottage next door that since the 1920s had housed inadequate and inaccessible facilities, including a kitchen and toilets. It was replaced by a purpose-built annexe.

The new building houses toilets, as well as facilities for people with disabilities. The entrance lobby has been enlarged, the stairs improved, a new galley for tea and coffee and storage areas have been created and a lift installed. The building’s emergency stairs, previously open to the elements, have been rebuilt under cover.

Funding for the £300,000 scheme came a local appeal as well as the South East Economic Development Agency, Stockbridge Town Hall Trust, Test Valley Borough Council, Hampshire County Council, Stockbridge Parish Council and The Veolia Environmental Trust, which awarded a grant of £100,000.

Dr Saxton, chair of the management committee, said: “The grant from The Veolia Environmental Trust was crucial in enabling us to go out to tender for the new build. Without it, we would still be looking for funds. Now that everyone has seen the fresh looking building, we feel we have a momentum to give the people of Stockbridge the hall they deserve. We are very grateful to the trust.”

Margaret Cobbold, executive director of the Veolia Environmental Trust, said: “Halls such as this are focal points of community life and this work is an excellent example of how the Trust and the Landfill Communities Fund can help projects looking to ensure they continue to be so for generations to come.”