Salford Lads Club SAVED from closure as £250k target smashed following Manchester Evening News appeal

Salford Lads and Girls Club has been saved from closure following a Manchester Evening News appeal. The 121-year-old institution - a lifeline for young people from deprived communities - announced in October it needed to raise £250,000 by the end November or would shut.

The M.E.N. can reveal that in just six weeks £273,000 has been raised. Donations include £100,000 from Salford council and £50,000 from Morrissey. The fundraising target was surpassed today (Thursday, November 28) after £30,000 was pledged by the gas company Cadent.

More than 1,400 people have made donations after the M.E.N. launched a GoFundMe campaign. The auction of a Noel Gallagher guitar, and £10,000 given by Salford-born rock and pop star Graham Nash of 1960s pop group The Hollies and American band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young also helped.

READ MORE: 'Lying on the edge of an estate in need of regeneration I walked into Salford Lads Club for the first time...I fell in love'

Now the club has breathing space. The next move is to set up a £1m 'Legacy Fund' - a permanent endowment fund that could draw down £40,000 to £50,000 a year in returns.

Last year the club's income was £160,000. It included donations; money from open days and visitors; hiring out the Grade II-listed building for weddings and to filmmakers; and its online shop. But projected outgoings for the coming 12 months are £394,700.

Costs have rocketed, with the club finding it difficult to look after and maintain its 1903 Edwardian home with the care it needs. Bosses also need to employ staff to run of the club and be able to compete for grants.

Income from grants slumped because the market has become overloaded and competitive, bosses say. The club's annual utilities bill is