A set of Norfolk charities are celebrating a funding boost after more than 1,000 people took part in a public vote to decide which good cause should be supported.

The inaugural Hopkins Homes Norfolk charity of the year public vote has seen £10,000 handed out to Centre 81 in Great Yarmouth, the Purfleet Trust in King’s Lynn and Age UK Norfolk.

Centre 81 topped the vote and has received £7,000.

It runs a skills and activities centre for people with a disability and a community transport service for those who cannot access public transport.

The Purfleet Trust, which supports homeless people, came second and was given £2,000 and Age UK Norfolk has been handed £1,000 for coming third.

Diana Staines, chief executive of Centre 81, said: “We are over the moon to win the public vote. The £7,000 will be a real boost for the charity and an acknowledgement of the valuable work we do helping adults with physical, sensory and complex health and social needs.

“The money will go towards the purchase of a new minibus which will enable us to continue to provide a rich programme of activities, allowing our members to participate in a great range of activities in the wider community.

“We are very grateful to Hopkins Homes for including us in the vote and we have enjoyed this opportunity to further raise awareness of our work in the area.”

The vote saw people having to choose from six charities. The other three were the domestic abuse charity Leeway, sexual abuse charity Fresh Start and the Benjamin Foundation, which helps people deal with many of the challenges that life throws at them.

Those three charities have been given £250 each from the Hopkins Charitable Fund, which ran the vote.

The £500,000 Hopkins Charitable Fund will see the developer donate £500,000 to good causes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire over the next five years.

Joshua Hopkins, land buyer at Hopkins Homes, said: “All six of the shortlisted charities offer support and assistance to some of the region’s most vulnerable residents and we are proud that our donations will help them to continue the fantastic work they do across Norfolk.”

The shortlist for the vote was compiled with support from the Norfolk Community Foundation.