Community hub saved as boiler bill target met
BBCA community centre which was at risk of closure due to the cost of replacing its boiler has been saved.
Charity workers at the Salaam Centre in Hartlepool, which provides a warm space and helps those in food poverty, previously said its boiler was on the brink of breaking down and repairing it was unaffordable.
But just a few days after putting a call out for donations, the group announced it had received enough money to replace the heating system.
Manager Nancy Pout said: "We are so grateful for everyone's support."
Ms Pout previously told the BBC the local community had already raised half the money, but all "hands were on deck" to raise the rest.
"Without this money the doors would have to close, because we wouldn't have the heating and the hot water, we would not be able to operate," she said.
But with the money now raised, she said the team were looking forward to serving the community "for years to come".
The centre, which opens on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, welcomes about 1,000 people every month who are struggling with spiralling fuel bills and the cost of living.
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