Bristol Rastafari Culture Centre in fundraiser to secure building

Solomon Ogunmefun-Brooker (l) said it was "a relief" they had got to this stage

The team behind a fundraiser to save a community hub say they "urgently" need funds to secure its future.

Bristol City Council had planned to redevelop the building which houses the city's Rastafari Culture Centre on Grosvenor Road, St Pauls.

The council has now agreed to sell the ground floor unit to the centre, but funds are needed to complete the sale.

Organisers of a GoFundMe page say £20,000 is needed to complete the purchase and make the building safe.

Solomon Ogunmefun-Brooker, from the fundraising team, said: "It's big relief that everything has come good.

"Through a lot of hard work, we managed to block the sale of the centre by the council, but now we need the crowd-funder to help finalise the securing of the building."

Work on the centre includes replacing old storage heaters and the boiler as well as rewiring, fundraisers said.

Ras Bandele Selassie has been running the Rastafari Culture Centre since the 1990s

The Afrikan Caribbean Assembly (ACA) previously set up a petition against the redevelopment which attracted 5,000 signatures.

Rastafarian elder Ras Kammaul said at the time: "If this building goes, it says the community doesn't matter."

Mr Ogunmefun-Brooker said the Rastafari centre had been a "beating heart of St Pauls for decades".

"Ras Bandele [who runs the centre] has worked as a community elder for over 30 years," he said.

"He's given his time, spirit and guidance to the community free of charge and without payment, never turning away a soul and consistently offering a place of sanctuary to all.

"Think that says it all to be honest."

Mr Ogunmefun-Brooker (l) said Ras Bandele Selassie (r) had spent many years to helping people

Mr Ogunmefun-Brooker said the team knows "times are tight" but "if we keep momentum up, we should steadily hit the target".

"A lot of time and effort was put in over these last few years," he said.

"We still need to finish the job but it feels great to have got to this stage."

A fundraising event is being held at St Pauls Learning Centre on Thursday.