Church leaders have secured £50,000 towards a renovation project to improve village life.

Community groups which use Cullingworth Methodist Church have been calling for extra facilities, as organisations such as the village Sunday school have expanded.

The building, in Dell Fold, is no longer fit for the purpose it was built for and some of the Sunday school's 23 youngsters have to take lessons in the hall's reception area.

A planning application for a single-storey extension was approved by Bradford Council four months ago and church leaders say they hope to start work by the end of the summer.

The designs - submitted after more than two years of planning - include a new kitchen, a larger hall and storage area.

The £50,000 from Waste Recycling Environmental Limited (WREN), will go some way towards the £285,000 it will cost to realise the villagers' dream.

Church property steward Rod Crabtree said: "I was walking on air when I opened the letter telling us that we had got it."

Work to build the extension would be put out to tender this month, Mr Crabtree said.

He said the architects were also looking at using eco-friendly materials and renewable energy sources to power the building, which could also house the village's police community contact point.

He said the aim was to build a centre for the community, as well as the Sunday school, to attract outside bodies to use it for community events and to open it up for parties. Cullingworth Parish Council has also backed the scheme.

Mr Crabtree said: "The village is crying out for extra facilities. When we hold any events there we are struggling to accommodate people.

"We have got planning permission and we are putting it out to tender in the New Year. It is a lengthy process and it has to be done right, so we are hoping to build some time in late summer 2008.

"There is still a lot of work to do but the WREN grant is a big part of the jigsaw. We still require additional funding but this will enable us to go forward because it means we can apply for other grants."

Airedale Male Voice Choir will visit the hall for a fundraiser for the extension in the near future and other money-making schemes are also in the pipeline.

Mr Crabtree said: "It is just a matter of one final push now."