PARENTS and staff at Urchfont Pre-school have launched themselves on a challenging campaign to raise £48,000 to build new premises for the group.

Urchfont Primary School, where they are currently housed in a mobile classroom, wants to replace the mobile as it has reached the end of its useful life.

It has applied for planning permission to build two permanent replacement classrooms, one for the exclusive use of the pre-school.

But it cannot afford to build both classrooms and has told the pre-school organisers they will have to find their own funding.

The pre-school, which has 30 children aged two to five, is looking forward to having a purpose-built classroom next to the main school building at Cuckoo Corner.

It has been overwhelmed by the support from the village and has already raised £7,000, including £1,000 which was raised in one week.

Former pre-school chairman Jane Harris, who has now taken over the job of fundraising co-ordinator, said: "An envelope drop around the village got us £550 which, along with £311 from our Christmas fair and £330 from a raffle, meant we had put on more than £1,000 in seven days."