The fire broke out in the early hours of a Tuesday – just 72 hours after lead had been stolen from the centre's roof on the Friday night.

The flames and smoke wrecked the Pond Road centre's main hall and stage, plus three rooms on the first floor.

Manager Kelly Hagan got the centre partially reopened just over two weeks later and its weekly markets and discos have been held on a smaller scale since.

Contractors have just finished removing asbestos from the hall and rooms which was discovered by Adur District Council during the initial clean-up.

Kelly hopes the rebuilding work will start next month and be finished by the end of April.

She said: "I want to say a million 'thank yous' from the people of Shoreham for this money. It will definitely go a long way to paying for the redecoration of the hall once it is rebuilt. The Shoreham Centre caters for all ages and aspects of the community and the surrounding area and many people rely on it.

"We need the hall and the three rooms up and running as soon as possible."