WORK to repair a flood-wrecked bridge in a Cullompton park has been given a boost thanks to a £1,000 donation from a Plymouthbased Christian charity.

The Preston Down Trust also pledged hardware and manpower to begin restoring the wooden crossing in the Cullompton Community Association Fields, which was severely damaged by floods at the end of November.

Ashley Wilce, chairman of the CCA, which is tasked with maintaining the 33-acre public open space, accepted a cheque from Stan Wallis of the trust before a team of volunteers from the organisation got to work on the first phase of rebuilding the pedestrian and vehicular access bridge last Friday.

Last month the CCA warned it may be forced to give up responsibility for the park unless it received additional funding to cover repair and general maintenance costs.

It called upon Cullompton Town Council to raise its share of next year’s council tax by £1 per household to fund the upkeep and a consultation will be held with residents this year to determine whether the increase should go ahead.

Mr Wilce said: “This offer of both financial and practical help from the Preston Down Trust is very welcome but we will still need more money before we can properly fix the bridge. Without it, there will be no town fayre this year.

“There is still much work to be done to ensure that the CCA Fields remain a safe and well kept area where the people of Cullompton can benefit from the open space provided, so let us hope this item of good news will bring forward other offers of help.”