THE 400 -year -old school room at Felkirk Church will be officially re-opened on Sunday.

A confirmation service at 10.30am will start the day followed by the re-opening at 1pm and a buffet lunch.

The Right Rev Tony Robinson, Bishop of Pontefract, will do the honours following a restoration project costing more than £200, 000.

The school room, attached to St Peter’s Church which itself dates back to 1120, was closed in 1999 because the roof was deemed too dangerous.

In 2004 some congregation members formed the Old School Room Restoration Project and set about bringing the building back into public use.

It was made possible by a grant for £176, 000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund plus cash from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Wakefield Council and local fundraising.

The roof has been repaired and the organisation has created nature trails, quizzes, tours of the church and information boards to make the historic buildings accessible to the public, particularly children.

John Dean, secretary of the restoration project, said: “The restored building has exceeded all our expectations and looks absolutely magnificent. The future use of the building will evolve as further uses for the facility are found.”