WORK to convert a former Headley Baptist church into a community facility is continuing apace, as a community room starts to take shape beside the current shop and post office.

Ashford Hill with Headley community shop and post office re-opened in August following a move to new premises in a vacant Baptist church in Thornford Road. It had been empty for about a decade, on the site of about a tenth of an acre.

The owner, Greenham Common Trust, has backed the community project by charging a commercial rent but providing the Headley with Ashford Hill Community Shop Association, which runs it, with a grant to cover this cost.

Now, thanks to a £10,000 National Lottery grant, work has started on converting a room alongside the shop/post office for use by the local community, while retaining original features of the 1924 building, including a pitched oak ceiling and stained glass windows. Fundraising is set to continue to complete the work.

“The first thing is to improve the lighting and electrics. Being a church, they didn’t need much electric,” said Headley villager Peter Hemmings, one of several volunteers who run the shop.

“Then we want to improve the storage area,” he added.

Local artists taking part in the May local Open Studios annual event will be first to use the community space, which Mr Hemmings said had an advantage over the village hall in that items could be left there over several days.

“You can’t leave stuff at the village hall, so we will fill a gap for short-running exhibitions,” said Mr Hemmings.

The room would also be suitable for small community gatherings, although planning permission currently prevents the community room opening when the shop is also open owing to limited toilet facilities, which have to be available for use by staff or volunteers.

The shop and local farm produce stocked there are achieving critical acclaim from villagers. Surplus produce grown on allotments is also passed on, for a donation to the association.

Richard Bayly, another volunteer at the shop, said that all usual post office facilities were available including pensions, parcels, and post office accounts.

The shop and post office are open 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm Monday to Friday (closed Wednesday afternoon) and Saturday 9am to 12pm. Parking is available in a layby opposite.