Following the unresolved discussions about the future of The Beehive at the last two Honiton Town Council meetings, Honiton Community Complex has received a generous private donation which will help the charity to weather the next few months.

The Beehive is delighted to announce that they will reopen from Monday 28 September. Initially, this will be for room hire only and it is hoped to open for cinema and live events at a later date. All the appropriate Covid-19 safety measures will be in place.

The community and arts venue was forced to temporarily shut its doors back in March due to the coronavirus outbreak and staff were furloughed.

Many community groups have been eager to restart their activities at The Beehive and also book the large auditorium for socially-distanced meetings, but the charity has not been in a position to make this possible.

Serena Sexton, chair of the charity said: "We are incredibly thankful to our donor for supporting us at this time and recognising the importance of The Beehive to the community.

"The donor has expressed an interest in supporting The Beehive in the longer term and the charity is hoping to have discussions about a sponsorship deal in the near future."