Supermarket chain Budgens donated more than £8,000 to charity before handing over its Harleston store to the East of England Co-Op.

The store in Bullock Fair Close closed on Tuesday, August 8 to make way for an East of England Co-op, which will launch in a few weeks following renovations.

It left a legacy of thousands of pounds, raised through collection pot donations and a stall that saw staff and customers bring in their books for others to read at a loan cost of 50p per book.

The initiative began in 2012 and was spearheaded by Carol Goldsmith, who along with store manager Steve Charlton met EACH Norfolk community fundraiser Cheri Playne and volunteer Julie Farmer to hand over a cheque.

Ms Goldsmith said: 'We'd like to thank all our customers for their amazing support of EACH over the years. We're very proud to have raised such a substantial amount of money for such a worthy cause and look forward to continuing our fundraising efforts for EACH in the future.'

Ms Playne added: 'We were delighted to collect the proceeds from this fabulous fundraising initiative and would like to say a big thank you to everyone who engaged with it over the years.

'The money will help us continue providing care for children and young people with life-threatening conditions and support for their families.'

For more information on EACH, visit www.each.org.uk