A LEARNING disability charity from Oxford is appealing for last-minute votes to help it win a £35,000 grant through a national competition.

Yellow Submarine has been chosen as one of 15 regional finalists for the Natwest Skills and Opportunities Fund, which supports community-based projects.

The charity supports young people with learning disabilities to help reduce isolation and give them work experience.

It is seeking funds towards the running costs of a new learning disability cafe it is opening in the Windrush Leisure Centre in Witney this summer.

The cafe will allow young people to gain skills and experience in a workplace setting, with the goal of improving their employability.

Competition winners will be decided by public vote, and people can choose their favourite charity by voting online at the Skills and Opportunities Fund website.

The deadline is today at noon.

Kate Sankey, head of finance and compliance for Yellow Submarine, said: “It would be amazing if the community could get behind us and vote to help us raise the funds we need. It is wonderful to have the work we are doing being recognised by the public.”

Yellow Submarine was founded in 2009 to provide regular holiday breaks for parents of children with learning disabilities.

Over 70 volunteers and core staff work at the charity, giving support to nearly 200 young disabled people and respite to 375 relatives and siblings.

It already owns a cafe in Park End Street in Oxford, which has been voted the city’s top place to eat on review website TripAdvisor.

There are 11,000 people in Oxfordshire with a learning disability, according to the charity, and 10,230 are estimated to be unemployed.

Miss Sankey said: “We are extremely grateful to have been shortlisted and to be in the running for this fantastic award.”

This year the Skills and Opportunities Fund will be giving out £2.5m to fund projects in charities, social enterprises and schools across the UK and Ireland.

Yellow Submarine won the Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) Charity of the Year award in February.