A community group is pleading for support from villagers in a bid to secure funding to repair a village hall roof.

The Shalford Village Hall project committee must raise £59,000 before work can begin on a roof which has been untouched since it was first built in the 1920s.

Fundraising events and a £13,000 grant from Essex County Council mean the committee has raised £31,000 so far.

The committee must now prove they have the backing of the public and residents in Shalford before they can get the rest of the money via a grant from Garfield Weston Foundation.

The family-run grant making trust offers support to community and charity groups which have the backing of residents.

Colin Golding, chairman of the management committee, said: “The hall is used by lots of groups in the village but the roof is leaking and hasn’t got any installation so it really needs to be sorted, it hasn’t got too many years left.

“We have managed to get over halfway to our target so now we need to provide evidence there is support for the project.”

The management committee have set up a Facebook page.

A petition will also be stationed in the village hall and village shop, both of Braintree Road. To visit the Facebook page, go to https://www.facebook.com/Shalford-village-hall-roof-project-2049399078673425/?ref=br_rs