A housing charity has been handed the keys to another home following a £80,000 grant from North Norfolk District Council (NNDC).

Eastern Daily Press: Sisters Gillian Wilson (Blue Top) and April Wilson (Cream Top) received an MBE for there work establishing and running a homeless charity called The Stable Door. Picture: Dom ChessumSisters Gillian Wilson (Blue Top) and April Wilson (Cream Top) received an MBE for there work establishing and running a homeless charity called The Stable Door. Picture: Dom Chessum

The grant topped up the funds already raised by Stable Door, and has enabled the Sheringham charity to add to its property portfolio.

Stable Door, which now has eight properties in the town, will welcome the first tenants once renovation work on the three-bedroom house has been completed.

The grant is part of NNDC's commitment to help boost the provision of affordable housing across the district and mitigate the effects of second homes, which can result in inflated property prices.

Karen Ward, NNDC cabinet member for housing and planning, said: "The impact of second homes on the district's residents is something we take extremely seriously and is one of the top priorities for this administration.

"Ensuring there remains a good supply of affordable homes in North Norfolk is key, so we're delighted to be able to help Stable Door with this project."

Stable Door is a small charity run by volunteers to manage its homes and provide additional support to tenants when needed.

The grant from NNDC comes from a pot of £2.4m that central government has allocated to the authority from the Community Housing Fund.

Darryl Smith, the charity's chairman, said: "We're pleased to be able to work in partnership with NNDC to achieve this addition to our property portfolio, and this will enable us to provide accommodation to a family in need from the Sheringham area.

We look forward to being able to work with the council again in future."

Penny Bevan-Jones, an NNDC member for Sheringham South, said: "People with contacts in Sheringham looking for an affordable home will be delighted to discover that Stable Door is making this a real possibility, as a starting measure that can be reviewed every year."

Colin Heinink, a fellow Sheringham South ward member, said: "I appreciate the wonderful work Stable Door does in providing affordable accommodation to families in our town and I will endeavour to support them going from strength to strength."