A popular indoor car boot has returned to a market town after a mystery donor stepped in to save it.

Dereham Lions Club will return to Dereham Memorial Hall for two car boot sales on March 10 and in April and are already seeing a huge demand for pitches.

Last November, Donna Palmer, a fundraising team member, said running the event at the Norwich Road venue was no longer viable due to rising hire costs.

But now a councillor, who Mrs Palmer did not want to disclose, has stepped forward to help.

Dereham Times: (From LtR) Alison Webb, Donna Palmer, Peter Wilkinson (From LtR) Alison Webb, Donna Palmer, Peter Wilkinson (Image: Breckland Council)

She said: “The town councillor made a personal donation so that we could hold the car boots there. It's so nice that someone thinks so much of us that they gave us a donation to return.

“We love it at the memorial hall, it's a central location, accessible, and has outdoor space as well, it is the ideal location.”

The fundraising team member said the group “did not want to pass the price rise onto our stallholders, we think this may hurt the number of stalls we would have for such an event".

Dereham Times: Dereham Memorial HallDereham Memorial Hall (Image: © Archant Norfolk 2015)

Mrs Palmer said the group has been holding car boots in the area for the last 20 years, with the memorial hall being its home for the last three.

It holds the event at the start and end of the year, to avoid the competition of other events in the summer months.

The Lions are still on the hunt for a new home, but said it has been “frustrating”. Despite the stumbling blocks, the search continues, with the group open to anyone who can make any suggestion on a new place to hold the event.

If The Lions do find somewhere, May would be the last one until October time.

The Lions club raises funds to help locals and makes donations to help fund things like a trip to Kenya for Neatherd High School students next year.