Dreams of a community bookshop purchasing its new home permanently have been given a major boost.
Kett's Books, which opened its new shop in Wymondham in September, has been given a government grant of almost £300,000.
Co-founded in 2013 in Whartons Court by volunteers Tracy Kenny and Ray Rumsby, Kett's Books was founded as a community hub.
It was saved from closing through funds raised by volunteers as money to buy stock and run the shop, with locals known as Friends of the Bookshop consistently supporting the project.
They moved to their new shop in Market Place in September and have since been named the best independent bookshop in the eastern region in the British Book Awards.
However, the aim of the volunteers remains to secure the long-term future of the bookshop - run as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) since 2014 - by purchasing the property as a permanent community-run outlet.
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Tracy Kenny, co-founder and director of the project, said: "The work is not done - we have to raise 20pc match-funding to complete the purchase.
"We are contacting local grant-making bodies for support but our own community has been following this journey and has already pledged about a third of the remaining £62,500 we need to raise.''
The funding has come from the government's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, as part of a £33.5m national package to prevent the closure of community outlets, including pubs, music venues and sports clubs.
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Tracy added: “The people of Wymondham and further afield believe in what we’re doing with the community bookshop.
"They see that we are offering a benefit to the town, and running a business in a way that resonates with how they believe the world should be."
Next up for Kett's Books is the national finals of the British Book Awards in May.
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