The village hall now needs to become a multi-functional business in its own right in order to survive and flourish, and Llanymynech Village Hall has shown just how it can be done.

Marketing officer, Enid Lintern, said: "The problem with the old hall (apart from its dilapidated condition and unwelcoming atmosphere) was that there was only one room so there could only be one user at a time, it was very inflexible. The badminton club and amateur dramatics were the main users and there was not much time for anyone else.

"It used to be that the odd coffee morning was enough to pay the electricity bill but that is just not the case anymore. Modern facilities have to meet a high standard and are expensive to run therefore the venture has to be economically sustainable," she added.

The 'new' hall, due to be unveiled in a two-day ceremony on February 29 and March 1, solves this problem by providing a centre that has everything in one. With facilities such as meeting rooms, a pre-school and an IT suite as well as sports changing rooms and state-of-the-art stage, lighting and sound equipment, many different groups can use the facilities alongside each other eg for business purposes, educational courses and social clubs.

Ms Lintern added: "It is all about different activities complementing each other and special interest groups tapping into each others' networks to attract new members and each contributing to the general marketplace."

More than 50 years on from when the first hall was built in the village, the premise for it still remains very similar. In 1947 the Llanymynech Village Hall was given as a gift by local patron the Earl of Bradford to the gentlemen of the village as a reading room for their education and general welfare.

Although the hall has adapted and is now used by the whole community, the fundamental aims of aiding education and general welfare are still a priority, with the welfare of vulnerable and under-served groups particularly being a prime concern.

Ms Lintern explained: "We have had problems in the past with young people misbehaving in the village because there was not enough for them to do. We hope that this problem will be solved by providing them with a dedicated space and a range of absorbing activities."

"The elderly are another group who have suffered from poor provision. The hall will provide activities to bring people together, helping reduce isolation and offering to help improve mental and physical health," she added.

The journey to creating this commercially viable venture has not been easy. It was in the mid 90s that fundraising first began on the village hall project, which has eventually resulted in the refurbishment of the original hall, but not before a large purpose-built extension was completed in 2006. Alongside the 2006 extension a new shower block and changing rooms have been built which conform to the Football Foundation's high specification, who were the main funder.

Ms Lintern said: "With the village being partly in England and partly in Wales it was very difficult to raise initial funding but eventually we were able to access funding from both sides of the border from major funders such as the Lottery Wales, Foundation for Sports and Arts, Welsh Assembly Government's Community Activities and Facilities Programme and ERDF, Oswestry Borough Council as well as local government, private and charitable sponsors.

"We've also been very lucky to secure support from Switch on Shropshire who have been major providers of IT equipment and services allowing the centre to become a Broadplace meaning broadband connection to the internet. This has been a major contributor to the success of the centre so far."

Getting funding for community buildings has become a national problem though in both England and Wales as lottery money and European funding, which used to be the main providers of capital funding, has all but dried up while demand has risen.

Ms Lintern said: "There is now a lot of pressure on charitable trusts and foundations to provide money for refurbishment works and new builds, which they simply cannot meet. Even the ones that have found the capital outlay are struggling to survive and it is now widely recognised that the only way to survive is to become more business like and find ways of generating their own income."

The Llanymynech Village Hall has been nominated as an exemplar project by Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) as an example of good practice. Other community halls in Powys will be able to visit Llanymynech and will be offered support through the sharing of experiences and knowledge gained.

And now after its long journey, all that remains is for the village hall of the future to be unveiled.

Ms Lintern said: "I think that the residents will believe it has finally been completed when they see it because it has been such a long time in coming, but we are expecting a high level of usage and look forward to a very busy and thriving community asset.I think that 12 months after it has been opened we will probably be wishing we had even more space."

* On Saturday, March 1, the village hall will be open to members of the public, with groups such as Llanymynech Amateur Dramatics Society and the local football club putting on displays and giving information on how to get involved. There will be refreshments as well as the opportunity to watch a projection showing the old hall and the various processes of building the new hall. The event will run from 11am to 3pm. All are welcome.