A charity for severely disabled people is searching for money to fund a new centre less than a year after it was forced to leave its NHS-owned home.

Headway has officially opened the Kennington-based day centre it moved to after being asked to leave its site at Rivermead Rehabilitation Centre, in Abingdon Road, Oxford.

But now the charity, part of the National Brain Injury Association, is searching for an extra £4,000 a year to pay for overhead costs.

Sheila Sargeant, Headway Oxford co-ordinator, said: "We're finding it difficult to fund, and we'll have to apply for more money for overheads we've never had to worry about before. It's obviously far more costly for us.

"Like everything, it's not just the rent, but things that Oxfordshire Health Authority always funded, like loo roll, hand towels, and electricity and heating bills."

A spokesman for Oxfordshire's five PCTs said: "Headway provides a valuable service. There are, however, many demands on the NHS and we must prioritise any applications for funding to make the most effective use of our resources."

Headway House opened its doors in July last year, but was officially opened last Saturday.