Rushen Heritage Trust has received funding to keep the community centre open during winter.

The £300 grant, which came from the Manx Lotter’s community warm spaces fund, will allow the centre to welcome locals three days a week for hot drinks, craft workshops, board games and quizzes.

The trust also hopes to host workshops during these days, such as beginner classes for yoga and photography.

Each class will be a single session in order to enable more participation from people not attending the classes regularly.

The treasurer of Rushen Heritage Trust, Alison Graham, said: ‘Thank you, Manx Lottery Trust, for assisting us with the launch of this scheme, which we hope will benefit many people over the next few months.’

‘The three days we chose to open, are the same days which other venues in the south are closed, so we’ve made sure that all days in the week are covered to meet the needs of the community.

‘When we realised we might be able to keep the centre open over winter, we knew we couldn’t pass on the opportunity, as it would have been such a shame to not utilise a practical and functional space for people to gather.’

During the summer months, Rushen Heritage Trust open the centre, which is based in Port Erin, to be used as an exhibition centre with exhibitions, talks and community events prepared by the for the public.

Sarah Kelly, Chairman of Manx Lottery Trust, added: ‘This is a great addition to the many warm space events being held in the South of the island, which we’re very pleased to support.’

To reserve a spot on any of the workshops, either call in to the community centre and leave your name, alternatively, you can also call or text Kathy on 330584.