A marquee donation has helped put the wind back in the sails of an educational charity deflated by the effects of Storm Arwen.

LionMouth Rural Centre is a community project based at Broadgate Farm, Esh Winning, supporting local people with learning difficulties or recovering from mental health problems.

But the near 100-miles per hour winds of late November last year tore apart a large marquee being used as a makeshift classroom.

A donation by Durham City Freemen’s charitable trust has now enabled the charity to restore its service offerings for users.

Project manager, Brigid Press-Bartle said: “In March 2020 Covid forced us to close our gates not only to those who seek our support but to members of the public as well.

“When our clients were allowed to return in August we made many changes to protect them from the spread of the disease.

“Our social distancing and cleaning routines, alongside the continuing absence of the public, allowed us to take some of our lessons outside into the open air. “Our large marquee was a key part of the strategy, sheltering attendees from rain, wind and shine.”

But she said Storm Arwen’s trail of destruction left the seven-year-old heavy-duty shelter, “twisted beyond repair.”

In 2016 the centre was awarded a £7,000 donation by the freemen’s charitable trustees to help underpin a series of developments at the ground-breaking complex.

It sells plants, herbs and shrubs cultivated in their nursery, as well as glass-ware and pottery from their kilns plus furniture from the workshops, to the general public.

The freemen’s latest gift, an additional £250, is no less vital to the centre, as it covers the cost of a pop-up heavy duty replacement marquee.

Read more: Durham Freemen Butcher's Company to celebrate 500th anniversary

Two dozen local people, aged from 14 to 64 and suffering or recovering from mild to moderate mental, social or learning difficulties, are offered day care support and training sessions available in woodwork, horticulture, art, pottery, conservation and cookery.

The centre’s support is delivered by two full-time and three part-time employees while 16 volunteers are returning after the lifting of all Covid restrictions.

The service is overseen by a board of four directors drawn from the surrounding area.

Ms Press-Bartle added: “We serve those who have been ill, have gone through the system and do not qualify for further care and are not yet well enough to go into employment.

“Many suffer from high anxiety or lack of confidence.

“The new marquee will be a huge benefit not only to the day-care users on site but also to the general public who are buying our products and attending our team rooms again.”

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054