ALCESTER town councillors have thrown a vital lifeline to the Greig Centre by agreeing to give a grant of £150,000 towards redevelopment.

At a special meeting of the council on Wednesday, 12 councillors voted in favour of the grant, which will be funded out of the town precept. One councillor voted against and one abstained.

The decision follows an overwhelming show of support from the public at the recent parish meeting. At that meeting, former chairman of trustees Phil Talbot warned unless money was made available, the Greig would close.

Mr Talbot resigned two weeks later and the board waited anxiously for a decision from the town council before pressing ahead with the £1.2 million project.

Alcester Mayor Chris Gough said: "With all the cards on the table and knowing the exact situation of the Greig, we didn't have an alternative.

"The Greig belongs to the town. We have to take that commitment on board and recognise we do have a responsibility towards the Greig.

"I believe it was the right step. People may still have reservations but when you have to make a choice, you have to accept the risk."

Stratford District Council has agreed an £800,000 grant, providing the trustees can raise the rest of the project costs. And £100,000 has been secured in a lottery grant - providing work begins before September.

Centre manager Stacy Robinson said: "It's great news. That now gives us a stable platform to drive the development process through and we are looking to start work before September. We are still £150,000 short but the trustees are still actively trying to source that."

Mr Robinson added: "We haven't forgotten about the memorial hall. The feasibility study shows it will take another £500,000 to re-generate that and bring the building up to 21st century spec. But I now know I can protect and develop my main income stream and enable us to remain economically viable."