The future of a dale community venue is in doubt because it is not currently financially viable.
Trustees of Startforth Community Centre say the cost of repairs plus ongoing maintenance bills have made it likely the building will close.
A spokesman said: “Unless anyone comes forward to manage the community centre, the team is working towards a managed closure over the next 12 months and envisage full closure by autumn 2026.”
Volunteers took on the running of the centre for the community when the former primary school closed in 2016.
The spokesman said: “Initially there were seven people, however, because of levels of uncertainty regarding ownership of the building and associated legal battles, plus a number of other reasons, this is now down to just three trustees.”
Part of the site is owned by Durham County Council and the other by the Leeds Diocese.
The trustees made progress in registering as a charity and developing a business plan as part of an application to obtain a community asset transfer with the county council, and to negotiate a 25-year lease with the diocese.
The busy centre is home to a monthly community café, a weekly lunch club, Affinity Choir, keep fit classes, pilates group, drama rehearsals and art and music classes.
It also acts as a polling station, a meeting point for Startforth Parish Council and is part of the village’s emergency plan. It costs about £30,000 a year to keep the centre going.
A building survey in April showed that a full re-roofing would have to be carried out on the nursery school roof in the next two to five years, as well as other repairs of varying priority.
The spokesman said: “The survey revealed an unaffordable level of repair, even without the additional cost of scaffolding, for the priority one and two repair issues, which need to be addressed in the next one to five years. There are grants available that could be applied for, but that in itself is a big, time-consuming job.
“Even if the trustees were able to raise the funds to do these repairs, it leaves a list of longer term priority three repairs and ongoing maintenance that the centre would not be able to afford.
“For the community centre to remain open, it requires a number of people or a group to come forward who are willing to take on the running and management as trustees.”
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