SALTBURN parish church is seeking the support of the town for revamping its 40-year-old hall, which is used by about 50 community groups.

Vicar the Rev Guy Donegan- Cross told a launch meeting in the hall last week that the building had cracks in walls, a shale under-floor problem and the parish wanted to modernise the facilities.

“The hall is used a huge amount by the whole community,”

he said during a formal computer-based presentation, which was repeated at the church last weekend.

Activities ranged from blood donor sessions, the Earthbeat theatre company, sequence dancing and craft fairs.

Mr Donegan-Cross said the cost would be £355,000, more by Michael Morrissey than half of which had been raised already by the parish.

The figure included a legacy left by a parishioner several years ago.

An application for planning permission has been made to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and planned facilities include a media-equipped conference room, a youth room, a creche, disabled access toilets, a food bar and a new heating system.

The plan includes extending the hall on the church side, environmental improvements to minimise the carbon footprint, and landscaping the car park.

The vicar appealed for help to raise the £175,000 needed for the ECHO (Emmanuel Church Hall Outreach) scheme, either through donations, fundraising, seeking grants, pledges or by offering physical aid like plastering or painting.

He promised the parish youth work would continue after the revamped hall was completed by Christmas 2010.

He said that, despite the church not renewing the contract of youth worker Mark Brown, it was not ending youth outreach work.

He praised the work done by Mr Brown in the schools, community and hall.

Mr Donegan-Cross was asked about re-cladding the outside of the hall with stone, as at present, but said the cost would be prohibitive at about £500,000.