PLANS to renovate Partington Community Hall have received a boost following a donation of £5,000 from the two companies which are leading the construction of the new Carrington Power Station, Alstom and DF.

Partington Community Hall, which was a former primary school, has fallen into disrepair over the years.

Cllr John Smith, chairman of the community hall committee, said: “We’re extremely grateful for the financial support offered by Alstom and DF.

“The funding will be used to bring the building up to standard in terms of access and heating, in order that the facility can be used once more by the community.

“The community hall has the ability to act as a hub for many of the local people living in the area so it’s important that we return the venue to good repair. We have had many enquiries from groups interested in using the building.”

Alstom representative Rainer Lueoend said: “We’re very pleased to support an important local community venue here in Partington.

“As developers of the power station, we hope to contribute to the long term economic investment in the area. We understand the importance of working alongside the community.”

Building work has begun on the power station site and it is expected that the 880MW plant, capable of supplying enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 1 million homes, is expected to start generating electricity in 2016.