A new music therapy unit based in the grounds of Croydon's Brit school was opened by Andrew Lloyd Webber yesterday.

Earlier this year a grant of £250,000 was awarded to Nordoff Robbins, a music therapy charity, by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.

The money will be used to help maintain its music therapy unit at Brit school and to fund the unit's work.

To celebrate the donation, the centre has been renamed the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Unit.

Mark Wordsworth, chairman of the trustees of The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, said: "Andrew Lloyd Webber is delighted the money he gifted to the Foundation is being used to contribute to a wide range of projects and is making a significant difference to many people's lives."

Nordoff Robbins provides music therapy sessions in its own centres, as well as in hospitals, day centres and schools. It's services help those with a range of challenges including autism, dementia, depression, stroke and terminal illness.

David Munns, chairman of Nordoff Robbins, said: "We are incredibly grateful for this donation. Our work at Nordoff Robbins is life changing, through music we are able to transform the lives of many thousands of disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

"This money will help us continue to deliver essential services to those who need them and provide training to the future of the profession."