CHURCH fundraisers hoping to rescue a derelict Cowley hall are appealing for support to reach their £750,000 target.

The St James School building, in Beauchamp Lane, has been unused for the past 10 years but residents are hoping to bring it back to life.

They want to transform the former school building into a new community health and nutrition hub.

Cowley’s Lesley Williams, 69, said: “It just is sitting empty. It just looks like a very sad and tired building, but it has potential.

“I feel that we are failing the area to have it there empty.

“We just feel that it’s part of the community and there is not a Cowley community centre anymore and we could offer something that we know people need.”

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A 15-strong team, mainly formed of members of the Parish of Cowley churches, has launched a campaign to renovate the site.

The run-down Victorian heritage building, next to St James School, is believed to be the former school of actress Dame Maggie Smith.

Car manufacturer and philanthropist William Morris also attended the school from 1890 to 1893. It was used as a pupil referral centre.

Group members initially wanted to create a free school but Miss Williams said the building was not big enough for the £1m project.

Now the team hope to transform the school site in a health and nutrition centre to improve the well-being of families in the area.

It would hold cookery classes, courses for obese children, workshops on food skills, training for canteen staff and one-to-one diet advice.

Miss Williams said under the conditions of the building’s trust it had to be used for educational faith and community needs.

Miss Williams said: “You just get this feel there were children learning here and we want people to learn.

“We really, really think that’s what people need these days and it would be addressing huge social needs, especially in Cowley. There are families that really haven’t got any idea of how to cook or manage their money or anything like that.”

Youngsters from Church Cowley St James C of E Primary School are also lending their support to the project.

They are to create outdoor planters at their Bartholomew Road school, which will later be used to form an orchard in the old St James School playground.

Miss Williams said they were looking for a volunteer project manager to lead the scheme.

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