Bid to make girl guides centre a community hub

The trust said it needs £5m to buy and run the hall

Fundraisers hoping to save an activity centre used by girl guides in Lancashire have submitted a bid to try and buy it.

Last year, Girlguiding UK named Waddow Hall, near Clitheroe, as one of five sites it was selling around the country to ensure it was "financially sustainable for the future".

Waddow Hall Trust was then set up to try and buy it and keep it as a community facility.

Chairman Janet Taylor said the Grade II-listed 17th Century manor house "deserves to be saved".

'Heritage and culture'

"It's important to girl guiding, but I think it's bigger than that," she said.

"It's important to the whole community and we don't want to lose this kind of facility.

"It deserves to become a hub for heritage, culture and education for everybody."

The trust said it needs £5m to buy and run the hall, which was purchased by Girlguiding UK in 1927.

They are hoping to work with a partner group to give them more time to raise money and apply for grants.

Ms Taylor said that by submitting the bid, "we've proven that we can purchase the estate, we've submitted our business plan and it's now over to Girlguiding UK to decide whether the trustees feel that we are the best value.

"We don't know who else wants the site, but we are absolutely buzzing, we just desperately want to get in there and get it set up again and get it being enjoyed."