A community charity on the north Norfolk coast has been given £800 to improve facilities to help local organisations.

Eastern Daily Press: Wells Community Hospital. Picture: Ian BurtWells Community Hospital. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Archant © 2013)

The money has been donated from Central England Co-operative's Community Dividend Fund for the Wells Community Hospital Trust.

It will spend the money on a vital hearing loop system that will play a part in turning an unused office space into a community room for a wide range of groups.

Central England Co-operative chief executive Martyn Cheatle said: 'We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant for the fantastic work they do in the community.

'Community Dividend Fund grants like this showcase how being a member and continuing to support Central England Co-op helps us as a society continue to invest and fund vital projects in the local area.'

Wells Community Hospital Trust is a local charity that provides flexible and integrated health and wellbeing services for its community.

It also helps to support people locally to keep independent longer by the provision of preventative clinical services and non-clinical therapeutic support.

The aim of the community resource is to addresses a range of social, emotional and practical needs holistically to enable people to take greater control of their own health.

The Community Dividend Fund awards grants of between £100 and £5,000 are handed out every three months.

The fund guarantees that at least one per cent of the society's trading profit is reinvested in local communities in a bid to help projects to thrive across its trading area of 16 counties from the midlands to the east coast.

During this round, a range of groups, organisations and charities were handed grants, with a total of £40,000 handed out to 26 good causes across 16 counties.

Also in Norfolk, on the boarder with Suffolk, the 1st Earsham Scout Group received a grant for £1,500 to go towards a new access ramp for disabled youngsters to use its facilities.

In Suffolk, Halesworth Kuk Sool Won martial arts will use £5,000 to pay for a new roof for its dojo and members of Lowestoft Shopmobility now have a new £2,000 scooter to help get around town.

- Organisations can apply for funding from the Central England Co-operative's Community Dividend Fund by visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/.