Immediate repairs have been carried out that could give a threatened Suffolk lighthouse an extra 20 years of life thanks to a successful £10,000 fundraising campaign.

Grade-II listed Orfordness Lighthouse – one of the county’s most iconic structures – stands on the brink of collapsing into the sea with the constant fear that one fierce storm could see it swept away altogether.

In January, after weeks of southerly wind-driven waves washed away a huge amount of beach, members of the Orfordness Lighthouse Trust launched an appeal for £10,000 for repair work.

A spokesman for the trust thanked everyone who had helped achieve the goal.

He said: “We have been overwhelmed by the interest and support we have received.

“As well as a flood of money that has come in from individuals, we have also had friends raising funds for us – such as Orford Sports and Recreation Club who organised a fund raising quiz – donations of professional advice, offers to sell works of art on our behalf and fundraising through musical endeavours and more.

“What has also been very humbling has been the number of messages we have received from some of our supporters with their stories of their connection to the lighthouse, from family holidays to those who served on the Ness during World War Two.

“From £5 to £500, everyone’s donation has been important and we are immensely grateful. We hope that you can look out at Orfordness Lighthouse and know you had a part in it still being there for everyone to enjoy.”

The cash has helped pay for what has been dubbed Operation Sausage Roll, with volunteers loading builders’ sacks with shingle and sand that was then wrapped in geo-textile material to make ‘sausages’ that have been placed on the beach around the base of the lighthouse to provide extra protection.