The trust set up to protect the pier at Bognor Regis have secured a government grant of £10,000.

The award was made on behalf of the Department of Communities and Local Government to help support a fundraising strategy, legal agreements and work in the community.

Bognor Pier Trust was launched last year with the aim of taking over the freehold of the Grade ll Listed Building which is currently in private ownership.

Trust chairman Nick Stuart-Nicolson said: "We welcome this latest grant which will transform what we are able to do, without doubt it has moved this project forward by a considerable amount.

"By preserving Bognor Regis Pier we would once again create a central location where many groups in the community can gather.

"The Bognor Pier Trust intends not only to save and provide a sustainable future for this well-loved, iconic and architecturally important Grade ll Listed Building, but will also provide the community and visitors to our town with a pleasant focal point.

"Bognor Regis Pier has been serving the community and its many visitors for 150 years. We are now planning the next 150."