THORNBURY’S community composting centre will be open for at least another year after being given £10,000 by South Gloucestershire Council.

Campaigners had fought a long, and eventually successful, battle to save the service and councillors unanimously agreed to fund the centre as it implements the plans to reduce its outgoings.

A local farmer has agreed to shred the waste on site to save money that was being sent on transporting it from Thornbury to Swindon via Yate and back again.

The composters will also hire a local contractor to carry out any processes which require machinery.

The site at the leisure centre, which had 400 tonnes of composting material pass through it over last year, is run by an enthusiastic bunch of green-fingered community volunteers.

A report by council officers had recommended that the site be axed, but members of the communities committee at a meeting last Wednesday instead backed a motion to allow it to remain open.

Cllr Shirley Holloway (Lib Dem, Thornbury South and Alveston) said she hoped the decision would help to secure the site’s long-term future.

She said: “I’m extremely pleased that the committee backed my motion to award £10,000 to help keep the Thornbury community composting site open.

“This is a much-valued resource for Thornbury residents and I hope that this extra support will help the site to continue in the long-run.”

Chairman of the communities committee, Cllr Claire Young, added: “The decision to award £10,000 should allow the composting group to continue running at Thornbury for another year.

“This will give them the time to identify new sources of revenue so that the site can operate independently of the council in years to come.

“If Thornbury is successful, it could be a model for other communities interested in community composting.”

The site is a key component of Thornbury in Bloom's successful competition entries and calls were widespread for South Gloucestershire Council to consider their suggestion.

John Wilson-Smith, chairman of Thornbury Community Composting, thanked residents for supporting their plea to save the centre.

He said: “This is brilliant news. I’d like to thank, particularly, the many residents of Thornbury, who got in contact with South Gloucestershire Council and asked for them to consider our plans to save it.

“We now have a year from April to prove to the council that we are able to live up to what we have said, but thanks to everyone involved we should be able to."

If you would like to lend a hand then you can visit the team between 9am and 11am on Saturday mornings or between 2pm and 3pm on Wednesdays.