A SOMERSET pre-school could lose a £50,000 grant towards a new building if members fail to raise a further £95,000 in the next few months

A SOMERSET pre-school could lose a £50,000 grant towards a new building if members fail to raise a further £95,000 in the next few months.Lympsham Pre-school, which currently meets at Manor Hall, secured a £50,000 grant from Sure Start towards the new building, but the conditions are that it has to be spent by March next year.The total cost of the new pre-school, which already has planning permission, is £145,000 and staff, parents and pupils have been doggedly holding fund-raising events and collections to try to raise the rest of the cash.But as the deadline for the grant looms, staff are sending out a last-ditch plea to try to drum up the extra money.Pre-school committee chairman Rachel Holland said: "We've managed to raise £6,500 over the past few months, which is fantastic, but we still have a lot to raise. We've been applying for grants and awards but if we don't get the money soon we'll lose the £50,000. At the moment the children have to walk over to the school to go to the toilet. They can't display their work because everything has to be packed up at the end of the day. We can't keep play equipment up in the garden because it's a community hall."The pre-school can only use the hall from 9am-12noon during week days because it shares the building with the school.This means a lot of parents from the village have to travel into Weston to access the care they need.A number of groups and charities have already promised to give the pre-school play equipment when they move into their new building, which is planned for Rectory Way, behind the cricket ground.But the group's plans could be dashed if it does not come up with the rest of the money soon and members are appealing for individuals and businesses to help them hit their target.The next fund-raising scheme planned by the pre-school is the release of a children's CD with 16 songs, performed by some music greats including Mark King from Level 42. The CD, The Building, is released on July 16 and is available from the pre-school on 07743 188865 or from Amazon.