Leaders at a pioneering community centre have been left devastated after failing to secure a £600,000 Lottery grant.

Staff at Wrose Community Centre say they are almost at breaking point after being turned down for the bid, which they needed to construct a new building.

And now they fear the whole future of the centre could be under threat because it is packed to bursting point and is under threat from vandals.

Centre co-ordinator Bob Lee said: "We're really disappointed and devastated about the whole thing.

"The Lottery seemed to be the only avenue left open to us to allow us to progress and achieve what we want to achieve.

"The irony is that Wrose is degenerating with graffiti and decay everywhere and it's essential that the centre gets an uplift to prevent that from happening any further. If we can't get help, things will go from bad to worse and Wrose will become as run down as anywhere else."

For more than 14 years the centre has been applying for grants but has never been successful. Hopes were raised last December when it reached the second round of the National Lottery Charities Board grant selection and officials from the board came round to inspect the centre.

But community leaders received a bitter blow after they were told they would not get the money for a new building, which would have included a large hall with a raised roof for theatre and sports facilities, meeting rooms, a creche and a landscaped play area.

Mr Lee said: "The only reason I can think why we were turned down is that our bid was for too much money.

"We run 22 groups at the centre, ranging from senior citizens groups to under-fives provision and we're almost entirely reliant on voluntary help to run these - we've certainly got the interest in our activities but we're pressed for space in every direction.

"We're determined to carry on but we're almost at breaking point as it is."

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