The Beehive is set to re-open on a limited basis from next Monday, after it received a generous private donation.

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

A spokesman for the venue said 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.

Honiton Town Council has discussed the venue’s finances at recent meetings, the matter remains unresolved but Honiton Community Complex has received a generous private donation which will help the charity to weather the next few months.

As a result The Beehive will re-open from Monday, September 28, initially for room-hire only but it is hoped to open for cinema and live events at a later date. All the appropriate Covid safety measures will be in place.

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.”