A COMMUNITY art centre's funding campaign has got off to a flying start.

Bosses at The Witham, in Barnard Castle, launched their Investing in the Witham appeal earlier this month in a bid to protect against closure fears.

The centre, which needs to raise £150,000 before the end of the year, started an initial £30,000 in 30 days challenge on August 7.

And in less than a week, more than 50 patrons and visitors have rallied round and raised £7,500 - a quarter of what they need.

Chairman of the trustees, Bob Garton, said the news was a "great start" to the campaign.

He said: "Lots of ideas for fundraising have been coming in over the past week, and we are already busily sorting through them to see which ones are viable in the timescale we have and with the resources available.

"If you decide to do some fundraising yourself, please remember that you can use the BT MyDonate page as your personal fundraising space. It’s easy to set up, it’s free and other than taking a few minutes of your time to register, there’s no administration for you or us. It is directly linked to The Witham appeal, so you don’t have to do any banking or accounting either."

He added: "Everything you do to help us reach the £30k will ensure that The Witham continues to enrich people’s lives through providing quality entertainment and bringing people in our community together.

"If you have already invested in The Witham - thank you. We’ll be writing to you personally in the next day or so."

To support the campaign and donate visit mydonate.bt.com/charities/thewitham or visit thewitham.org.uk and click on Support Us.

Alternatively, call the centre on 01833-631107 or visit it at 3 Horse Market.