Stephen Fry appeared on the pitch at Carrow Road on Saturday ahead of the Canaries' game with Portsmouth to hand over �16,667 to a local charity.

Staff and users from the Hamlet Centre in Norwich went to pick up the cheque from the Community Chest competition held by Aviva with the EDP.

The centre received a massive boost when Norwich City played at home against Leeds United last month in special shirts bearing its logo. The prize was part of the EDP-backed competition, organised by NCFC sponsor Aviva.

It also included the opportunity to place charity collectors around the ground on the Leeds match day and a visit from a player at a charity event.

The shirts were auctioned off and raised more than �4,000, and more than �2,000 was donated by fans.

The charity helps people aged from four to 45 at its premises on Ella Road, near Thorpe Hamlet, but has started fundraising to revamp the St Raphael Club in Johnson Place to create a unit for young children.

Michael Rooney, chief executive of the centre, said: 'It's a very considerable and helpful sum of cash, we're delighted. We're incredibly pleased.

'We have a �1.3m target and we're inching towards �800,000, and this will help push us ever closer.'

EDP editor Peter Waters was also at the presentation and said: 'The Hamlet Centre are very worthy winners of this excellent initiative between Aviva, Norwich City Football Club and ourselves and it was great to see the smiling faces today of so many of their volunteers and people they help.

'I'm sure the publicity they've received and the generous donations will allow them to increase their invaluable work across the county.'