A COMMUNITY centre facing closure last year has been relaunched after a massive fundraising drive in a north Durham village to save it.

About £30,000 has been raised to repair Ouston Community Centre, near Chester-le-Street, after a leaking roof last November made its future uncertain.

Groups who use the centre, villagers, councillors and charities all pulled together to safeguard its future.

Durham County Councillor Alison Batey and her father, County Councillor Colin Carr, both donated money from their neighbourhood budgets for the project.

Cllr Batey said: “We need to credit to community organisations and the groups that utilise the centre because every group has put small and large amounts of money in.

“It is the only community resource for Ouston and Urpeth Grange and we all know community resources are going left, right and centre at the minute.

“This is hugely beneficial to the community. It is a lifeline for people.”

Last November, when the roof started leaking Ouston Parish Council donated £5,000 for emergency repairs, but the problems meant far more money was needed to secure the long term future of the centre and replace fixtures and fittings.

Ouston Parish Council chairman Councillor Derek McGill said: “It is the centre of the village and new groups are coming here all the time.

“Unfortunately, no money had been saved and the roof had deteriorated badly so the centre could have been closed down.

“By working together we have managed to raise enough money for the full cost of the works.”

Birtley Rotary Club donated a grant of £500 to the repair fund, making the fundraising drive complete.

Club president Pauline Turner said: “We try and do our bit to get money to give out to help in the community and some of our members are visitors here and use these facilities.”

The centre, which opened in 1973, has recently launched its own gym with trained instructors on hand to offer coaching and advice.

The centre is used by about 2,000 people a week and has 52 groups, offering everything from keep fit to martial arts and plays groups to amateur dramatics.

Councillors and centre users met there today (Monday, November 23) to celebrate the relaunch.

Centre manager Tom Casling said: “This event is about saying ‘thank you’ to everyone who has raised all of this money to help save the centre for future use.”