Thringstone's Charles Booth Centre - reputedly one of the oldest community centres in the country - has been given the green light to install a 21st century addition.

The centre has won planning approval from North West Leicestershire District Council to add a mobility lift tower to the outside of the building.

The application for planning permission was submitted by Tom Walters, the centre's business development manager, who said: "The mobility lift will attach to the outside of the building and allow access to our upstairs hall to members of our community with limited mobility."

It will be sited in a 'discreet' location which will not be visible from the village's Main Street.

A crowdfunder for the lift, which will cost around £35,000, has raised just shy of £24,000 - £9,000 more than its original target figure.

The appeal was boosted thanks to internet celebrities and villagers Geoffrey and Pauline Walker who used their 360,000-strong Instagram following to help raise thousands of pounds towards the mobility lift fundraiser.

The couple became famous in February when they made an emotional online appeal to try and find Pauline's purse which had been stolen on a shopping trip, earning them an army of new Instagram fans.

Mr and Mrs Walker will be invited to officially open the new mobility lift when it is installed - hopefully next year.

The centre has been Thringstone's local coronavirus Community Response Unit throughout the pandemic, leading the village's response and helping as many residents as possible thanks to a team of hard-working volunteers.