A CLOSE-knit community celebrated successfully breathing new life into a former village chapel which it raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to buy.

Dozens of residents tucked into tea and cake in the new Horspath Community Hub as they toasted the facility's finished refurbishment.

Friends of Horspath raised £275,000 in grants to buy the former Methodist chapel in 2013, fearing that the building could be claimed by developers.

They celebrated the completion of revamp works inside the building on Saturday,[apr9] after installing a new roof, insulation, double glazing, electricity and a bridge which acts as a shortcut between the hub and the village hall.

Group chairwoman Sheila Frankum said: "We needed to have a community home. Although we have a village hall this is more central."

Oxford Methodist Circuit moved out of the chapel in 2013 and put it up for sale with planning permission to convert it into a house.

Friends of Horspath had the chapel declared an “asset of community value” which, under the 2011 Localism Act, meant they had six months to buy it themselves.

They bought the building using grants from organisations including Weston Foundation and South Oxfordshire District Council.

The refurbishment, which has boosted the building's energy performance, was funded by non-for-profit organisation Wren.

Rebecca Brown, a Friends of Horspath trustee, said: “We needed to raise a huge amount of money – we worked day and night for six months.

"Lots of people have said they’ve met more people in the last two or three years than they ever have. It’s really become a very important focus for the village.

"Two years ago if you wanted to do yoga you would go into Oxford – now it’s here. It’s very exciting."

The hub can be hired out by groups and houses a post office and a coffee shop once a week.

Electrician Roger Goodall worked evenings and weekends to ensure no classes were cancelled during the work.

He said: “It’s lovely. It’s events like this that brings it home, all that hard work.”

Trustee Sally Humphrey, 75, added: “The best thing is seeing people use it. People getting together who didn’t know each other before and lived here for 20 years.

"It’s a social hub, people are learning new skills that they’ve never done before. It’s wonderful."

Lee Coolman, who painted the building’s interior, has lived in the village all his life.

The 53-year-old said: “The trustees seem to have really good momentum at the moment to make it a success. I can remember it when it was a chapel. It’s a great space - it will keep evolving.”

Residents who enjoyed the spruced-up surroundings included 78-year-old Magnus Andreasen.

He said: “People come here for coffee because you’re still with village people. You can come here and you know you will have somebody you can sit by and talk to.”

Clive Hookham, 83, attends several sessions at the hub including art classes and table tennis.

He said: “It’s a wonderful place. This has given it a different life and made it central to the village.”

Trustee Anna Radcliffe runs coffee mornings every Friday, bringing in at least 40 customers each week.

She said: “It’s become a really happy social event. Never in my whole life did I think I would be running a café with people I’d never met before – it’s great fun."