Donor saves parish that was down to last penny

A parish council in Norfolk was down to its "last penny in the bank" when a mysterious donor stepped in to save the construction of its new community centre.

Easton Parish Council chairman Mark Caton said the authority was "literally scraping around" to find enough cash to complete the struggling scheme.

Work to build the centre began in 2023 but spiralling costs and problems with contractors risked derailing the project.

But thanks to an anonymous £100,000 contribution made earlier this month, the hall could open by September, he said.

Caton said he had to do a "double take" when he was handed the cheque.

"I met the donor at his home and he basically slid a cheque across the table to me, which at first take I thought was £10,000 and was extremely grateful for that.

"It is really good positive news and people are really happy and want to see the project finished."

When work began in 2023, Easton's new community centre in Marlingford Road was only supposed to cost £1.5m.

The aim was to create a larger facility to support the growing community, with hundreds of homes being built in the area.

It was funded through a combination of loans, grants from South Norfolk Council and contributions from housing developers through community infrastructure levy money.

But costs spiralled to more than £3m and the council had to take out further loans and seek more funding.

The site will provide meeting rooms, a bar, kitchen, changing facilities and a main sports hall that can also be used for events.

Caton added: "The community needs to be in here using the facilities because I don't think there's anything else quite of this standard in the area."

Janet Morris, of the Easton Crafters' Club, which uses the old village hall and will move to the new facility, hopes there will be an open day soon so they can see it for themselves.

"It will be nice to have a look around to get more of an idea of what to expect," she said.

"I must admit I did not think much of the [size] of the car park though."

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