A SECRET millionaire has pledged to plough hundreds of thousands of pounds into a sports centre in Wivenhoe.

The mystery benefactor, who has shunned any publicity and wants to remain anonymous, has offered to pay towards a £1.4million sports, leisure and community facility on the site of Wivenhoe Town Football Club, in Broad Lane.

The pledge signals a dramatic change of fortunes for the club, which found itself in debt to the tune of £100,000 after a dispute with the leaseholders, the Wivenhoe and District Sporting Facilities Trust.

All that is known about the man is he lives locally, wants to see the community working together and is keen to leave a legacy for the town.

It is understood he will pull out if his identity is revealed.

At a packed meeting at William Loveless Hall in Wivenhoe, residents were asked to submit a wishlist of things they would like to see.

Facilities could include a gym, swimming pool, jogging trail, badminton courts, a new clubhouse, allotments and a covered stand for spectators. It is also hoped there can be a variety of daytime activities including a social club, play group and IT suites at the site.

Local resident Tim Patterson, who presented the initial proposals on behalf of the millionaire benefactor, admitted the project still had a long way to go, despite the money already offered. Grants and further funding will be needed as well as a business plan to work out how the facility will be run.

He said: “It is pretty unheard of that against this backdrop of austerity, the people of Wivenhoe have been offered this investment and incredible opportunity.

“If people are prepared to work together we could transform the whole area into something very special.”

Andrew Nightingale, chairman of the Wivenhoe and District Sporting Facilities Trust, is backing the project.

He said: “This is about investing in the community and my view, and the view of the trust, is this investor is genuine.

“He is not out to make a profit and this is a unique opportunity.

“There are a lot of issues to overcome but, if we work as a community, we can deliver it.”

Wivenhoe mayor Brian Sinclair said: “It is not going to be easy to get off the ground and it is in the very early stages, but the plans look incredible.

“We have 10,000 people in this town so it is something that could prove invaluable.”

Bob Mayhew, from Transition Town Wivenhoe, a group that promotes energy-efficient projects, said: “This will mean driving into Colchester to go swimming or to use a gym could be a thing of the past.”