A 200-year-old piece of needlework made in Halstead will stay in the area after it was bought by a local resident.

After being put on eBay by antiques company Madelena, concerns where raised by residents that the piece of artwork might never returned to the town in which it was created.

The buyer said: “At this moment in time I would not want to disclose my identity.

“I am local and it will stay in the Halstead area.”

The sampler, made in 1822 to show off the skill of its maker, shows Halstead’s St Andrews church, as well as including a Bible verse and the statement: “This Sampler Was Work'd At Mrs Pasks School Halsted Essex In The Year 1822.”

Local residents had been planning to fundraise to buy the sampler so that it would stay in the area.