Saturday 6th September 2008

ONE of the New Forest’s best-known charities has welcomed a £30,000 cash injection from the district council.

A £672,000 tree house study centre being built by the Countryside Education Trust has been hit by a funding shortfall.

Councilors heard that the Beaulieu-based trust still needed to raise £90,000 and agreed that the authority should give it an interest-free loan.

David Bridges, left, the trust’s director, said the fundraising situation had improved recently and the shortfall now stood at £80,000.

He added: “A large chunk of the funding depended on us starting work last financial year. We had to begin before we got all the money, and costs have increased.

“The centre is two-thirds built and I’ve been promised it will be ready in time for the opening later this month.

“The money from the council is a great help, although it would have been nice if it had been a grant rather than a loan.”

Source: dailyecho.co.uk