The long-awaited sale of a town's youth centre to the town council has been completed, enabling immediate improvements to the building to begin.

A funding bid is set to be submitted to the Sport England government agency for funding for an outdoor gym at the Diss Youth Resource Base, in Shelfanger Road, and a youth group is also being run.

An anonymous donor stepped in to buy the centre on the town council's behalf from Norfolk County Council, but the sale had to be put on hold while electrical tests were carried out.

The centre is currently being run by a steering group, but a charitable trust could be set up to take over the running with one young person, a youth worker and a paid part-time caretaker, and there are plans to let upstairs office space to a social enterprise or not-for-profit group to generate extra revenue.

South Norfolk Council has also approved a grant to help with improvements, while the county council has provided cash to pay for a youth worker for its youth group.

Mayor Mike Bardwell said: 'This is a significant step for both Diss Town Council and the town.'