WILLITON'S village hall campaign moved a step forward this week as the group spearheading efforts passed another hurdle towards becoming a registered charity A public meeting in the village on Wednesday night - held as part of the process for seeking charitable status - attracted 20 people who by a majority vote agreed the constitution and governing document under which the group will operate. They also backed a move to name it the Williton Village Hall Charity. The Free Press reported last month how volunteers behind the campaign had finally found a site on which the hall could be built, ending a ten year search. The land, a former orchard adjoining the children's play area in the village's Memorial Ground, is currently part of the garden of Croftways in Long Street, owned by local residents John and Margaret Moorhouse. But its sale it dependent on winning charitable status and gaining planning permission. An application to change the use of the land to recreational use is due to be submitted to West Somerset Council within the next few days and volunteers behind the campaign hope the success of the charitable status bid will be known within weeks. Elizabeth Peeks, a member of the village hall steering group, said a technicality over the application to the Charity Commission had to be resolved but it was hoped the necessary forms would be completed shortly. She said the group had been encouraged to be one of only 15 in Somerset to be invited to a recent meeting about lottery funding run by the Community Council for Somerset. "We picked up a lot of useful information about grants and were pleased to find out that most of the other groups there had been struggling to get a village hall for as long as we have - one had been going for 22 years." Fundraising and donations have so far brought in £61,000 for the project and the steering group is awaiting previously pledged grant aid from Williton Parish Council of around £12,800. The steering group only has until the end of the year to meet a £100,000 target to complete the sale of the land, cover legal and architects' fees and the cost of building a two-metre high stone wall between the site and Croftways. Anyone wanting to make donation to the appeal should contact steering group treasurer Joan Scott on 01984 632459.