A COMMUNITY centre in Bradford is to close, with the loss of five jobs.

Manningham Mills Community Centre will shut its doors at the end of the month, with bosses saying bookings had drastically fallen as funding cuts hit its main users.

The Manningham Mills Community Association, which runs the centre in Lilycroft Road is to go into voluntary liquidation, and a members' meeting is planned for March 26.

Mollie Somerville, co-chairman of the association, said: "It is very sad indeed."

The centre opened in Manningham Mills' Silk Warehouse to much fanfare in 2007, as part of the wider regeneration of Lister's Mill carried out by developers Urban Splash.

Mrs Somerville said they had relied on money brought in by bookings, but that the money coming in had dropped by "probably about three-quarters from its height".

She said: "Different bits of the council would have training days and away days and once the recession came, all their training was taken in-house, they didn't do anything external at all. That made a big difference.

"It was similar with the NHS and other bodies as well.

"Everybody is cutting their costs and we can understand that, but it has a knock-on effect."

Mrs Somerville said the board had done everything it could to try to secure new funding streams, but these efforts had not worked.

She said she was grateful to all staff and volunteers who had supported the centre.

Mrs Somerville said they were working with Bradford Council to try to allow three organisations, who regularly use the centre, to still be allowed access to the building.

Janice Simpson, the Council's strategic director for community services, said: "We are working with colleagues in other departments along with Manningham Mills Community Association and organisations which are providing services from the centre to try to keep the services running."