A CENTRE which is home to more than 30 community groups is seeking help to carry out vital repairs.

At the end of 2017, The Mosses Centre lost out on £500,000 from The Big Lottery which would have been used to create a new café area, transform the pre-school so it included an outdoor play area and office, and improve disabled access.

Eight months on, key figures said they have not given up on their ambition for the centre.

Plans for the site include new energy-efficient heating and lighting systems, a new kitchen to train people in food hygiene, food preparation and catering, and improved toilet provision.

Steve Hobson, capacity builder for the site, said: "The Mosses is crucial for Bury.

"You see places closing down all the time. The voluntary sector has been hard hit by the austerity measures.

"Keeping the centre afloat is vitally important. We want to maintain it for the several groups that use it.

“Our ambition to improve the centre has not gone away."

Applications have been made for grants and a Just Giving page has been launched to raise £10,000 for match funding.

In November 2017, Bury Council, who are landlords of the building in Cecil Street, said they did not have the £120,000 which would unlock £500,000 from The Big Lottery to secure the building's use for the next 20 years. Council leader Rishi Shori previously said that austerity meant they could not invest in one building and not in others.

Anybody who is able to give financially, or volunteer their time or services to help should call centre manager Anne McGladdery on 0161 761 2079.