A grant to save a Kington community hub has been refused by the town council

But members have said they would consider a fresh application for funding to support the ongoing operations at the Lion Café and Hub.

The Lion Café and Hub currently supports more than 15 local groups and as a Talk Community Hub, they also work with countywide and national organisations to extend their support to the community of Kington and beyond.

But in October their landlord informed them of his intention to sell the building.

They have raised about £60,500 in four months to enable them to put down a deposit to buy the building but they need to have £85,000 by the end of February.

Hub manager Kate Watkins attended an extraordinary town council meeting on Wednesday.

She said; “We believe that purchasing the building is the only viable way forward to ensure the hub’s stability, security and long-term sustainability. This will also enable us to continue our important work and open the door to greater funding opportunities.

“We are seeking donations or pledges to help raise the £85,000 required for the deposit. We plan to obtain a commercial interest only mortgage to complete the purchase.

“Over the past three months we have raised a total of £60,500 in pledges form individuals, through our GoFundMe Campaign and from counter collections, bingo nights and cash donations.

“We have until the end of February to begin the purchase process. If we do not raise the necessary funds, The Lion Hub will close when the building is sold.”

She said if they owned the building they would be able to apply for more grant funding, and be able to offer lots more to the community. She said it would also mean the ground floor of the hub would be rent free for its existence.

Councillors asked lots of questions about the buying arrangements and process at the meeting.

Kington Mayor Councillor Phillip Sell said: “We all recognise the great contribution you make to the town, the work you do and the number of people that work touchs.”

Councillor Bob Widdowson said: “I fully support the project and I think you do an amazing job. It is the first time on the council that we have had a grant application like this to buy a property and we are setting a precedent and I wonder how do we control the precedent.”

Deputy Mayor Councillor Martin Woolford added: “Whilst I would support everything the hub does wholeheartedly, I am concerned about the precedent we would be setting in giving a grant for the purchase of a property, it could create quite a considerable issue for us and it would be a precedent that would be very difficult to control.

“I also have concerns about the affordability of the project and without a mortgage offer in place, we don’t even know if it is feasible.”

The council did not support the grant application for the purchase of the property but they agreed they would consider a fresh application for funding to support the operation of the hub.