A fundraising campaign to transform the former Otley Methodist Church into a community hub has been extended to the end of the year.

The Otley Common scheme will transform the former place of worship into a centre where, say the campaigners, the people of Otley can "work, rest and play".

Earlier this year the group launched a fundraising campaign with a target of £571,000, to be added to the £300,000 they have received in grant money from the Community Ownership Fund, through the Government’s Department of Levelling Up.

This money will be used to purchase the building and carry out Phase 1 of the renovation of the building into spaces for community art groups and classes, studios for artists and business start-ups, co-working, and a dedicated youth area.

It will also host private and professional functions, be a venue for music, theatre and comedy shows, and house a community café.

The group said in a statement: “Due to the incredible response from our community and supporters, Otley Common is excited to announce the extension of our crowd funding campaign on crowdfunder.co.uk.

“This extension will provide additional time for more backers to join us in bringing Otley Common to life.

“Since launching the campaign in June we have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and generosity of our community. To date, we have raised over £155,000 through the Crowdfunder platform and offline investments.

“This is added to the £300,000 from the COF fund. The support has reinforced our belief in the importance and impact of Otley Common and has inspired us to push even further.”

The building will still be run by the Methodist Church during this period, and the campaigners say they have been given overwhelming support by the local Methodist Circuit to continue to open the building and invite more people of Otley and the wider area to share our vision for the future.

They add that extending the campaign will allow them to reach more potential funders, adding: “Many potential backers have expressed interest in supporting Otley Common but needed more time to contribute. By extending the campaign, we hope to reach more of these individuals and groups.”

The crowd funding campaign will now run until December 31 2024. They said: “During this period we invite all our supporters, community and friends to continue to engage with our vision for the future.

“We encourage all of our supporters to continue sharing our campaign with friends, family, and on social media. Every share, mention, and contribution brings us one step closer to realising the full potential of Otley Common.”

To learn more about Otley Common or to contribute to the campaign, visit: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/otley-common