A COMMUNITY recycling centre in Chagford, that took to crowdfunding to try and secure its future, reached its fundraising target on the last day of Christmas.

Proper Job launched a campaign on website Indiegogo to originally raise £20,000 by January 6, for the purchase of a new van to enable them to carry on providing a service throughout rural Devon. The centre intended to buy a Nissan Cabstar for £18,220 and with modifications, including a box, Proper Job logo and tail lift, the cost would have totalled £21,750.

Halfway through the campaign, the team at the centre found several second hand vans for sale at around £5,000. They changed the fundraising target of the crowdfunding campaign to make the target more attainable.

Securing a new van is vital so that the centre can maintain its retail income from the sale of high quality but bulky items like Rayburn ovens and furniture.

To secure any of the donations pledged at all, Proper Job had to reach its £5,000 target by January 6 and the donation that pushed the total over that target was received on the last day possible.

Alison Sallis, manager of Proper Job, said: 'When we received offers of ex-council vans and found an ex NHS van on eBay, we decided to change the fundraising target.

'It was only once we had embarked upon the campaign that we realised quite how hard it was going to be to raise such a huge amount as £20,000, especially at Christmas time.

'We are still deciding exactly which van to go for, but we have a few options and it is great for the future of the centre to have raised so much money for a new van. With offline donations we have raised around £6,500 in total so that should give us plenty of options.'