CAMPAIGNERS scrambling to save their children's centre have vowed to fight on despite poor funding prospects.

Parents will continue to seek cash to sustain parts of South Abingdon Children's Centre even after learning that a council handout would not be nearly enough to cover costs.

Oxfordshire County Council has revealed that from a £1m pot put aside to support under-threat centres, each group can only bid for a one-off share of up to £30,000.

Samantha Bowring, who heads up the group grappling to save services in South Abingdon, said: "That doesn’t go very far – we had hoped for slightly more.

"Without a large grant it makes everything difficult because so many other grant organisations match funding.

"Part of the problem was not knowing what the county was going to do so this is some sort of clarification. Now we can cut the cloth accordingly - we are going to keep trying.

"I can’t think of any way of saving the whole centre but we are trying to save some of the universal services. Then perhaps in the future we can build it back up."

Abingdon town councillor and mum-of-four Mrs Bowring, who has used the centre in Caldecott Chase herself, said around three quarters of families in the catchment area were signed up to it.

She set up South Abingdon Community Group to devise a business plan and has appealed for more volunteers to join, especially those with experience in registering companies.

Ideas so far include generating revenue on-site by giving up some of the space for a day nursery.

In April the county council will stop funding 31 of the county's 44 children's centres, and two of seven early intervention hubs, replacing them with a new targeted service aimed only at the most vulnerable youngsters aged up to 19.

David Huish, who lives in North Abingdon, is father to campaigner Jill Huish who set up Save Oxfordshire’s Children’s Centres.

The 67-year-old said the centres led his daughter to "help her to help herself" after she suffered domestic abuse.

He said: "People may slip through cracks in a referral-only system.

"The short-term thinking is to save money but in the long term this will cost society a lot more. We will all pay the price."

North Abingdon Children's Centre is also due to lose funding, though early intervention hub The Net in Stratton Way will not.

In July an Abingdon Town Council committee refused to throw a financial lifeline to children's centres, stating it would have "major financial implications" for taxpayers.

Community groups must bid their share of county council funding by October 21 for the first round of applications, or January 9 in the second.

To help the South Abingdon centre email sacccommunitygroup@gmail.com.