Dedicated volunteers are facing a bill for thousands to get their defunct youth centre shifted.

Helpers could end up paying from their own pockets to get The Hut in Baildon removed after dedicating hundreds of hours and their own cash.

Baildon Action for Youth (BAY) took the heartbreaking decision to close the teenage drop-in centre after suffering a series of crushing and costly blows.

Now the empty portable building will have to be removed from the Ian Clough Hall car park - at a cost of up to £4,000.

"We have a contingency fund, but it does not stretch that far," said BAY treasurer Liz Simpson. "It could be that we have to make a contribution ourselves."

Volunteers started BAY and The Hut after Baildon Churches Together saw that young people had no-where indoors to meet during the evening. "It was really nice when we started," said Mrs Simpson.

"The young people had their own music, they decorated The Hut themselves, painted a mural and came up with their own rules."

Chairman Paul Marsh said: "That was the strength of the centre - young people felt a commitment towards it. It was their hut because they had helped set it up."

The Hut opened in 2001, offering twice-weekly pool, table tennis and socialising. There were also trips out, including a four-by-four safari on the North York Moors, Bolton Abbey and five-a-side football.

"They were a nice group then, but I won't say everything was plain sailing," said Mrs Simpson.

"We had to ban a few, but they would come back later, say they were sorry and would fit back in."

But a series of set-backs in the last 18 months, including vandalism attacks, a break-in and falling volunteers numbers led to the tough decision to shut down.

All six windows have been smashed, the fire door broken through and a concrete slab hurled on to the recently re-covered roof.

The volunteers were already struggling to pay the annual £900 insurance bill and £200 electricity bill.

"A big problem was that we weren't getting people through to help out," said Mrs Simpson.

"Children were using The Hut, but their parents weren't getting involved. It was the same group of people helping out."

Mrs Simpson said a final straw came when The Hut hosted an external youth course on responsible graffiti art.

"We were always disassociated from the course, but it generated some ill-feeling because graffiti appeared in the village around that time," said Mrs Simpson.

"Once we got that bad feedback, we really lost heart."

She added "We do have to say that people have been good with giving money, their services and items for the centre."

Now the volunteers are looking for a youth project to accept the two pool tables and a table tennis table.

"It's really a shame," said Mrs Simpson. "It had always been a dream to have somewhere for the young people to go, but it's over now."

e-mail: jonathan.walton@bradford.newsquest.co.uk