A children’s nursery has raised more than £60,000 in just four months but needs to raise another £40,000 to save it from closure.

Cliffe Woods Pre-school, which looks after about 80 youngsters, uses part of the village school but has been told it can no longer stay.

Manager Wendy Snowden says if the money is not raised, the pre-school will have to close, which would be “disastrous” for the village.

She said: “We are a community charity pre-school which has been running for 40 years and, other than the private nursery in the village, we are the only non-profit-making pre-school that caters for children at a competitive price, from two years to 11 years, as we are also after-school care, too.

“If the pre-school and after-school club closes, it will be disastrous for the community as we are oversubscribed.

“If anything, we need a bigger building to cater for all the children.”

As reported previously in the Medway Messenger, the pre-school has been offered a piece of land by the school but has to raise £100,000 to create a modular building.

It has managed to raise £63,000 in just four months by holding events and setting up an online donation page.

In September the pre-school wrote to all parents and appealed to people in the village for support, calling on those with experience in planning permission, modular buildings, groundwork, grants or fundraising.

It has already been offered free architectural services from Gravesend firm Barron Edwards.

Wendy added: “We have a great new committee who are working hard fundraising, but we still need donations from the community to save us.”

If the money can be raised, it is hoped the new building will be ready to move into in September, when the pre-school’s lease at the school runs out.

Donation can be made online at localgiving.org/appeal/18771/ or cheques can be sent to Cliffe Woods Preschool Ltd, View Road, Cliffe Woods, Rochester ME3 8UJ.