A community centre facing an uncertain future is looking for professional pensioner power to help secure a lifeline.

The Gateway Community and Children’s Centre, on the Ravenscliffe estate, has applied for more money from the Big Lottery and will hear in March if it has struck lucky or not.

But that funding is not guaranteed and, without it, the centre’s future is looking tricky, according to co-manager Gerry Andrews.

To help safeguard its future, the Ravenscliffe Community Association, which is behind the centre, is looking for retired professionals and other enthusiastic people to join its board. Mr Andrews said: “Without the continued Big Lottery funding, the centre may well be running on a slim future.

“Anyone who has had experience of business management and similar skills would be ideal for joining our management board and to help bring in new ideas and ways of thinking about how, if we can’t rely on grants for funding, we can still survive and thrive for the community’s sake.

“There could be people out there who have retired, but have lots to offer and want to put something back into the community and put their experience and knowledge to good use.”

The centre, off Thackeray Road, still has some money from the Tudor Trust, but that would only pay for a part-time centre manager to just open up the premises for a year, said Mr Andrews.

He said the Gateway Centre, built six years ago, had “a unique blend” of activities under one roof, bringing community groups together as well as advice and counselling services and youth initiatives.

“If we have to close, all of that would struggle to continue and people living here on the Ravenscliffe estate would be left out on a limb,” he said.