The hall — adjacent to Rushden St Mary's Church — will be dedicated by the Bishop of Peterborough, the Rt Rev Douglas Feaver, on Sunday.

The tape to the new building — which will be used for various church organisation functions alongside the vestry hall — was cut by long-standing church member Mrs Elsie Hensman.

"People were standing at the back of the hall and outside the door — there were far more there than we had anticipated," said the vicar, Canon Michael Wilson. "The hall will be a tremendous asset for generations to come," he said.

A celebration cake was cut by Mrs Margaret Priestley, whose husband, Les, a former churchwarden, played a leading role in getting the hall built and was present at the ceremony.

The church has already raised £71,000 towards the cost of the new building.