A CHURCH in Witney has vowed to create a centre for children and young people after the project lost out on Government funding.

High Street Methodist Church pledged to raise the full £750,000 for the centre after it was announced £138,000 of Government cash for it had been axed.

The Oxford Mail revealed last week that 14 out of 26 projects in Oxfordshire had lost out on cash, including the refurbishment of the church’s Old School Building for a centre.

The Rev Richard Donoghue said: “When we talked about it in the church and decided to go ahead with it, it was because we felt this was what God wanted us to do. And we haven’t received anything to suggest God has changed his mind.”

The church had already raised £100,000 to completely refurbish the building.

Work was due to start this month but will have to be postponed. Government cash would have allowed the project to start, with the rest of the funding being raised later.

The Rev Donoghue said: “I think this is a lost opportunity to create a useful and exciting facility for children in the centre of Witney.

“As a church, what we have to do now is take a step back and think about how we are going to raise money to refurbish the building.”

Projects had to be axed after the Government slashed £2.75m from a £14m UK funding pot as part of across-the-board spending cuts.

Oxfordshire County Council was left to decide which projects would be axed.

Louise Chapman, the council’s cabinet member for children, young people and families, welcomed the church’s announcement.

She said: “If they can do it themselves, that is very good news and I wish them luck.”

It was an “excellent example” of Prime Minister David Cameron’s Big Society call, for voluntary groups to provide services, she said.

Mrs Chapman added: “It’s very much in keeping with the policy of the Big Society, of the local community and local people coming together in order to get things done themselves .”

A centre at Stepping Stones Nursery, Edington Square, Witney, was also axed but a new building at West Witney Primary School, in Edington Road, will go ahead.

This will support parents with children under five and is due to be finished by April.

Headteacher Judith Tinsley said: “This project will be a great asset for the school’s community, and the whole of north and west Witney.

“But it’s terribly sad that some projects won’t go ahead.

“We are just going to need to be creative in how we fund the support for needy families.”