Tom Lund-Lack, Tom Barker, John Spitzer and Paulin Goonan celebrate the £500,000 grant for the John Peel Arts Centre

A SUFFOLK arts centre has won a £500,000 grant from a waste removal company to help complete its redevelopment by November 2012.

The John Peel Centre for Creative Arts (JPCCA) situated in Church Walk, Stowmarket, is set for a major boost following the announcement that Biffa has awarded the centre a half-a-million-pound fund.

JPCCA is the only organisation in the UK this year to be granted a Flagship Project award and had to find an additional £70,000 to secure the funding.

John’s widow, Sheila Ravenscroft, a patron of the project and director of the John Peel Centre Community Interest Company, said: “The centre will eventually be a place that offers a lot of things to a lot of people.

“John had eclectic tastes, so it wasn’t just about loud music. He played all sorts of music and that’s what we’ll be doing.”

The new fund will help create a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system, box office, mezzanine level including a café/bar, sprung flooring, staging and upgraded facilities.

The work will also include solar panels, triple glazing, additional insulation and a heat source air pump.

John Spitzer, director, said: “This is brilliant. The funding will allow the JPCCA to continue into its third phase of building work, scheduled to start in May through to November next year. We are very pleased to be awarded this grant from Biffa and appreciate the assistance and contributions of our other funders.”