A community bid to buy and reopen an outdoor education centre is inching closer to its target of raising £200,000. The Roseland Centre wants to buy the building in St Just in Roseland amid fears that it could be sold for housing.

The outdoor education centre was closed by Cornwall Council in 2016 and the authority is now looking to sell off the building. A community group was set up to buy the building and to reopen it again as an outdoor education centre.

When it was open the centre welcomed children from all over Cornwall and beyond hosting residential breaks where youngsters were able to try their hand at a number of activities including sailing and kayaking.

The building, which dates back to 1887, was originally a school for the village on The Roseland and is fondly remembered by the local community in both its role as a school and an outdoor education centre.

A Crowdfunder campaign has been launched to raise the money and has been helped by a £60,000 donation from the local parish council. Cornwall Council has said that it will put the building on the open market in September unless the group can source the funding needed.

To date the Crowdfunder has raised £129,775 and organisers are hoping that people across Cornwall will help to take it to the finish line.

If successful there are plans to add more facilities on the site to ensure that it can continue to provide residential breaks for children from Cornwall and across the country. There are also plans to make the centre a community hub which will offer space and services for people living nearby.

The campaign has received support from a number of local organisations including The Roseland Academy which is hoping to be able to use the centre for activities for the students as well as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Keith Ives, Roseland Centre committee chairman, said: “It has been a long hard struggle and we have come a long way but we are hopeful that we can raise the money we need to buy the building so that we can get the centre open.

“It is now or never – if we don’t buy the building it is likely that it would be sold on the open market and, we expect, would be developed for housing.”

He added: “It is not just about buying the building but investing in our children’s and young people’s future.”

If you would like to find out more or to donate to the Crowdfunder go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-roseland-centre