Volunteers are calling on others to help save a cherished part of the community.

They fear Rawthorpe Community Centre is under threat, as Kirklees Council may discontinue funding due to austerity measures.

The centre will be holding a crisis meeting with the public next month, as it announces they have three months before deciding whether they are able to continue.

Volunteer Sandra Halliday said the closure of the centre would “really hit the community”.

“We hold a youth club here, as well as advice and support for people looking for jobs and lunch clubs for the elderly.

“It’s something relied upon by some of the community’s more vulnerable members, to lose it would be a terrible thing.”

The centre currently relies on partial funding from the council alongside donations, fundraisers and grants.

But if Kirklees withdraw funding, the Centre may be unable to continue on donations alone.

A supporter of the bid to save the centre is Clr Peter McBride, who said: “We’ve been constantly saying that we need to save these services as people need the facilities.

“However it is a mixture of what we can do and what the community can do, and we urge them to make use of what services are available.

“We’re also encouraging that the building is hired out for events.”

He added: “We’re trying to put things together to make sure the centre is viable for the future and that people will still have these vital services should it close.

“The council is currently looking at all its buildings which are subject to review and will be asked which are viable, so sadly some services may not survive.”

The centre will be holding a crisis meeting on Monday, July 18, to discuss its future.