The hotel will be turned into a community cafe, with space for toddler and youth clubs as well as health and wellbeing facilities.

The Udny Community Trust, which was established to help the communities of Udny and Pitmedden to grow, has long wanted to create the space to bring local families and visitors together.

The Linsmohr Hotel closed down last year after the economic climate made it very difficult or its previous owners to carry on trading.

Brian McDougall, chairman of the Udny Community Trust, told The Press & Journal: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this grant. There has been a real need in the village for a multi-generational community centre and this will also create employment and volunteering opportunities.”

The trust also plans to include space for community groups to hold activities and store equipment, together with office accommodation and self-catering facilities for visitors to the area.

A charging point for electric vehicles will also be installed.

John Watt, chairman of the Scottish Land Fund Committee, said: “From supporting community centres in towns and villages to giving funding to projects that turn woodland into places of recreation and employment, the Scottish Land Fund is strengthening both rural and urban communities right across the country.”

Roseanna Cunningham, cabinet secretary for land reform, added: “The Scottish Land Fund continues to support a wide range of projects and the most recent awards – from woodlands and shops to community centres and housing – demonstrate the quality and variety of community projects right across Scotland.

“The Scottish Government will continue to encourage communities, both urban and rural, to realise their ambitions and take control of their own futures and I look forward to community ownership continuing to grow and prosper in the years to come.”