Pre-school faces closure without new building

The school's pupils have been joining the fundraising effort

A pre-school is facing closure by the end of the year unless the people running it can raise enough money for a new building.

Whitchurch-on-Thames Pre-school is in Oxfordshire - near the border with Berkshire.

The school needs an estimated £40,000-£60,000 to replace its current building, which is more than 50 years old.

Rebecca Bell, who is a committee member at the pre-school, said: "We can't wait any longer, we don't want to put our children at risk."

The building is over 50 years old

The school opened around 30 years ago, moving into a portacabin structure that was already 20 years old.

Recent heavy rain has meant that the building is past repair, with Ms Bell saying it had "reached the end of its life".

She said: "It's been gradually deteriorating over time and every committee that's come in has been trying to progress putting a new pre-school in for the future of our children and our community."

Rebecca Bell is on the school's committee

The Save Our Pre-school campaign has set the end of this year as the deadline for a new building.

"We put a target on our campaign, we put £40,000 but the way quotes are looking actually we would feel safer going with £60,000," Ms Bell added.

Jo Reading, who was previously chair of the school's committee, said the pre-school had initially hoped to keep the building and renovate it.

The school hopes to be in a new building by the end of the year

"I think the building now is just on its last legs and almost falling down and just needs to be replaced - but the costs have just grown so much over the last few years," she said.

She called on the school's alumni to help with the project: "If your children went to the pre-school 30 years ago, and now you're a builder and you want to help out, that would be great."