CANOE clubs facing the loss of their home have issued a desperate plea for support to secure a new spot on the River Thames.

Decades-old Kingfisher Canoe Club in Abingdon and its youth section Pathfinders will be evicted from their Wilsham Road premises in April, and are now aiming to secure a community grant for a new home.

Club members have celebrated a 'huge step' towards their goal of settling near Abingdon Lock by securing planning permission to build a storage area - but are still £21,000 short of the costs.

Club chairman Duncan Sneddon said: "The place to store equipment and run courses is absolutely critical to the survival of the club.

"Unless a new base is ready by spring 2017 we will be unable to operate next season and there is a real risk that the club would close."

Mr Sneddon would not reveal the reason for the eviction but stressed it was 'through no fault of our own'.

The Wilsham Road premises is owned by Vale of White Horse District Council but the club faces being evicted by a private leaseholder.

The chairman has issued a leaflet to local residents and businesses asking them to 'help get us over the final hurdle', by becoming a sponsor voting for them to get an Aviva community grant.

The club has asked the insurance company's charity arm for the £21,000 it needs to build the unit, and have already received 4,300 votes after the competition opened on October 21.

Members of the public can vote up to ten times throughout the competition until voting closes on November 18, and projects with the most votes will reach the judging panel.

Pathfinders' lead coach David Surman, who has been involved with the clubs for 30 years, said: "We are really excited about the possibilities.

"It's a huge step forward that we have got planning permission - you can't imagine the relief.

"We've been working on this since February and it's been a real trial in terms of finding a suitable site in Abingdon, then the expense of planning and risk assessments."

Mr Surman, 67, who lives in Kidlington, said the move would give the group more flexibility as it will mean renting land directly from VOWH rather than a private leaseholder.

He added: "We have been restricted in our use which has been frustrating but now there's a lot more that we can do. We will be our own masters.

"We want people to progress and make canoeing and kayaking a lifetime activity.

"We were very fortunate to have everybody in the club behind the idea and we've all been determined.

"A few of us have had some sleepless nights but the enthusiasm amongst the club members have been what's kept us going."

To vote visit kingfishercanoeclub.co.uk and click on the Aviva link.