THE formal ground-breaking of the Wembdon village hall and playing fields project has taken place, marking the official start of building work.

The £2million plan to create a new village hall, playing fields and recreational areas in the heart of the parish has taken six years to get off the ground but the plan is now set to become a reality.

Construction was held back until all funding to build was secured, meaning the project will be seen through to completion in 52 weeks.

Mike Solomon, chairman of Wembdon parish council, said: “My thanks go to all of the funders without whose support we would be nowhere.

“We have funders ranging from the smallest personal donations from people in the village to the massive cornerstone grant of £1.25million from Viridor Credits.”

Dignitaries and local people from across Somerset gathered to witness the first sod of earth being dug.

They included Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger who claimed it as a proud moment for the village.

He said: “This is a good day for Wembdon and Bridgwater and it just shows the bloody-mindedness of all those involved who wanted to do something for the people.

"It’s Bridgwater people making history once again.”

Viridor Credits director Peter Renshaw said: “We are pleased that this work has started as this is one of our largest projects and it should make a real difference to the community.”

The final piece in the funding jigsaw was put in place when the Village Hall Project Team was awarded £250,000 from the EDF Community Impact Mitigation Fund (CIM) at a meeting of the full West Somerset District Council last month.

The Project Team has been working on the details of the design and the many consent documents over the past two years, which has enabled an immediate start to the construction and a rapid build schedule to minimise disruption in the area.

The first stage is to create a new access road from the Northern Distributor Road and the Thyne crossing, to provide easy access for materials to be delivered on site.

Construction of the village hall will start once the bridge has been completed with the groundworks to provide drainage expected to begin in the spring.