RESIDENTS in Tockholes may have missed out on vital cash to renovate their village hall after a bid for government funding hit a stumbling block.

An action plan was submitted to the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages scheme at the end of January in a bid to secure cash to renovate the hall's deteriorating kitchen.

But now the village hall committee, which was working with the council's community development officer, Julie Astley, has announced that the bid is likely to fail.

Chairman Sean Carroll said: "The issue centres on the fact that the hall is not owned by Blackburn with Darwen Council but is leased to them from the Chapel. The vital villages scheme is for council-owned buildings.

"As it is not a council-owned property, further investigation was undertaken to examine the content of the lease but it could have still qualified for Vital Villages.

"But it was discovered that the lease had expired in 1999 and had not been renewed. This prompted the Vital Villages team to reconsider allocating the monies to renovate a property over which they have no ownership.

"As the allotted monies were due to come out of the budget for the present financial year, it is safe to assume that they will not be released to us now and so we are faced with the prospect of having to start all over again next year.

"This news is very frustrating for all involved, particularly Julie Astley from Blackburn with Darwen Council, who worked so hard to get us in sight of the dream.

"The next step now is for the parish council and Blackburn with Darwen Council to draw up a new lease and hopefully we can apply in the next year."

Questionnaires were sent out to all houses in the village canvassing support for the bid and the response to this was seen as very positive.

Although the bid did not require them to state a specific amount of cash needed, the work to the hall has been estimated at £13,000.

Julie said: "We have not been told a definite 'no' but it has not been as easy or as quick as anticipated. I haven't given up on this and I am looking into other funding opportunities.

"We have secured some funding from the Lloyds Trust which is good but it obviously isn't enough to cover the cost of all the work needed."