A local hospice and a town’s church are the latest organisations to receive generous donations from Persimmon Anglia.

St John’s Church in Harleston and St Nicholas’ Hospice, Bury St Edmunds, have each received £1,000 funding as part of Persimmon’s Community Champions scheme. 

The year-long initiative aims to support local groups and charities with a pot of £24,000 of match-funding available. Organisations can apply at www.persimmonhomes.com/charity.

St John’s Church is situated right in the centre of Harleston and its lack of bathroom facilities means it is not used by the local community as much as it could be. Alongside its main role as a place of worship, the church is occasionally used for community meetings. However, Reverend Nigel Tuffnell is hoping that with the money, they can finally install toilet facilities, making the Church building more of a social hub.

Local man Darren Gibbs has been raising money for the hospice to mark the 10th anniversary of his partner Zena Butcher dying from a brain tumour. The Zena’s 10 appeal is Darren’s way of thanking the hospice for all the help given to him and his daughter.

Darren hopes to raise £10,000 for the hospice, and the donation from Persimmon will put him a lot closer to that target. He said: “We would not only like to remember Zena, but also help others in their time of need to deal with whatever difficulties they face.”

Persimmon Homes Anglia managing director Andrew Fuller said: “We are delighted to support two great causes - one going towards the care and support of sick people and their families, and the other to attempt to draw a community closer together through upgrading the town’s church.

“We are pleased with the selections for this month’s Community Champions, and hope the donations will go a long way in helping each organisation achieve its fundraising goals.”

The Persimmon Community Champions initiative is a national programme where charities and groups can apply for funding up to the value of £1,000 to match money they have already raised themselves. Nationwide the company will donate £750,000.

Persimmon Homes Anglia has developments across Norfolk and Suffolk.