THE £1.5m appeal for a ground-breaking eco-retrofit renovation project at East Meon received an early Christmas present thanks to the generosity of a local charitable trust.
The project is aimed at converting a former medical block on the old Royal Navy base HMS Mercury, now the Sustainability Centre, into a green learning centre and environmental hub.
And the proposal has found favour with The Good Exchange trust, who has pledged to match fund the first £3,000 of donations toward the innovative proposal.
They will match fund the first £3,000 of donations made to the Sustainability Centre, effectively offering donors the chance to double their donation.
A spokesman for the Sustainability Centre said: “The proposed New Learning Centre will create a dedicated education suite, community facilities and host small rural enterprises, transforming the former HMS Mercury medical block.
“This project intends to provide apprenticeship opportunities in natural and sustainable building techniques.
“It is also hoped the project will inspire others to re-use existing buildings rather than knocking them down and starting again, and prove that this approach is both eco-friendly and cost-effective. “
The centre works with nature and the outdoors to offer experiences that can be life-changing for young people, not just those with challenging behaviour and lives, but those who don’t get much chance to visit the countryside, play in wild places or to understand what it means to farm or manage woodland.
Donate by visiting www.sustainability-centre.org/make-a-donation.html and choosing ‘The Good Exchange’ button.
The Good Exchange offers donors a safe and secure way to donate to local good causes online.