TINY tots have thrown themselves into the spirit of Christmas by staging their first ever Nativity Play in a village hall in dire need of repair.

Galgate Institute played host to the production by Galgate Pre-School Play Group, which is behind a village campaign to raise £150,000 for a new community centre.

The ageing building - a popular haunt of local clubs and groups - is damp, cold, has steep steps and no disabled access.

Play group manager Naomi Park says it was the first nativity in more than 30 years.

While organisers did not charge admission they held a raffle and welcomed donations to boost the group's coffers.

"We are fund-raising for a new building," says Naomi. "We are desperate. We are in the old war memorial institute, which is an old stone building and absolutely freezing.

"It gets vandalised often - the boiler was trashed recently. It hasn't been repaired yet and we are having to hire small heaters to keep it warm. The toilets are freezing and there's no hot water."

The playgroup has four permanent staff and up to 20 children. But the Institute does not meet stan-dards set by Ofsted, and Naomi warns the group has only about six months to find somewhere new.

"We are always fund-raising and looking for sponsors. Either we pull our fingers out or it will go under - but it is such a needed village facility."

Supervisor Christine Hutchinson says they hope to raise up to £70,000 and attract Lottery funding.

"People in Galgate are really pulling together because a new building is needed so badly.

"A lot more people would use a new building if the access was right. There are a lot of steps to get upstairs, and there's no disabled access."

As trustees of the Institute, the parish council is considering selling it to fund a new centre.

An Institute Committee has been formed, representing the parish council and user groups, to discuss the building's future. It, unlike the parish council, can apply for grants.

Parish Cllr Helen Helme estimates £150,000 is needed for a new building: "The Institute needs a lot of money spent on it; there's no parking and the road is so busy. It's an accident waiting to happen."

Villagers are being invited to a meeting at 7.30pm on January 14 at the Institute to discuss the issue.