Kate ScotterA gardening group are celebrating after winning thousands of pounds to buy an eco-friendly toilet. The Taverham Allotment and Leisure Garden Association is one of 12 groups across Norfolk being awarded a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.Kate Scotter

A gardening group are celebrating after winning thousands of pounds to buy an eco-friendly toilet.

The Taverham Allotment and Leisure Garden Association is one of 12 groups across Norfolk being awarded a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

The group, based at Place Farm in Mack's Lane, Taverham, will receive �8,600 to pay for a composting toilet for the allotment holders to use.

At the moment, the 78-strong group does not have one on the site so the members have been crossing their legs while tending to their allotments.

Sally Wilson-Town, chairman, said: 'It's just brilliant getting the grant. We are based on a field and there's nowhere to go to the loo so we can't spend the amount of time we would like on the allotments.

'We desperately wanted some kind of toilet. People will now be able to spend as much time as they like there - it's wonderful.'

The NatSol toilet needs no water, creates no smell and once the waste has rotted down, it can be used as compost which can then be used on the allotments.

Other community and voluntary groups which have won a slice of �80,000 from the latest round of funding include the Belvedere Community Association in Norwich and Ketteringham village hall.

Chapel Road School in Attleborough has been given �5,000 to buy a replacement minibus so they can take children with severe learning difficulties on educational visits and community events.

Across the eastern region, the Big Lottery Fund has awarded �636,390 to 84 projects as part of its Awards for All programme.

Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund's head of the east of England region, said: 'It's fantastic to see that many people in the region are benefitting from opportunities to take part in activities that they would not normally have access to, thanks to lottery funding. 'Awards for All shows that size really doesn't matter - the smallest of grants can still have a hugely positive impact on the local community.'

To find out more about the Big Lottery Fund and how to apply, go to www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Has your community group received a cash boost? Call Evening News reporter Kate Scotter on 01603 772326 or email kate.scotter@archant.co.uk