A NORTH-EAST bakers has donated £30,000 to help keep a community centre in business.

The Willows Centre in Stockton has been awarded the money by Greggs Trust to help fund salaries over the next two years.

Its Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funding ran out in March.

The centre, between the Portrack and Tilery housing estates, in one of the most disadvantaged wards in the UK, provides educational and leisure courses to the local community.

It has computer rooms, a crche and provides support for the unemployed through referral programmes.

Willows administrative worker Tracy Taylor said: "We have a high number of single mothers using the centre, as well as older people. We hope to develop more services to attract younger people by involving them on the management committee.

"Recently, we have tried to encourage asylum seekers and refugees to attend courses run by bi-lingual tutors."

Greggs Trust manager Jenni Wagstaff said: "Unemployment is very high in the area and the centre provides structured courses for people who just would not access the local college. It is exactly the type of project we seek to help - core costs for a valuable community resource in a very deprived area."