The future of a sporting school for youngsters is in the balance after facing a double blow.

The Oxfordshire School of Sport is short of cash and needs £20,000 to be able to run next year.

It is also without a home, due to uncertainty about its current venue.

The school runs during the Easter break and gives a wide range of sporting tuition to youngsters by professional coaches.

It has been held at Bloxham School for the last few years, but because of doubts over next year's financing, the school said it is un-able to play host in 2000. Oxfordshire County Council has been in discussions with other schools, but looking for a new venue and re-organising the event is adding to administration costs.

The School of Sport became partly self-financing in 1993 when the county council withdrew its £10,000 contribution. It did, however, agree to continue to meet the administration and management costs.

Last year, the school became entirely self-financing and ran at a £2,000 deficit after district councils also withdrew their funding.

Conservative county councillor Steve Hayward said: "We always talk about having programmes for young people and this is an ideal one.

"It would be a disgrace to see it go and I hope we can find a way of keeping it." Liberal Democrat councillor Brenda Churchill said: "I will be trying very hard to find money for this from next year's budget."

About 120 youngsters pay to attend coaching sessions at the school each year.

The county will not make a final decision on funding the school until February next year, and will look at running it in the summer.

Story date: Thursday 16 December

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