A pre-school for children with special needs is in danger of closing because it is running out of money.

Crawley Opportunity Pre-School, which caters for 17 children aged two to four, is appealing for donations to keep it open.

Chairman Mandy Hanson, whose three-year-old son Luke attends the school, said: "We have to raise the funds ourselves to pay our staff of six.

"It costs more than £200 a week to run the club and unless we can get some help we will have to close."

She said this would lead to children with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and other problems having nowhere to go.

Mrs Hanson said: "The school has been running for 12 years and is the only one of its kind in Crawley.

"If it has to close, the nearest similar schools are in Horsham and East Grinstead, which is too far for many of our children to travel."

The school is open weekday mornings from 9.30am to noon at The Hut in the grounds of Francis of Assisi School, Southgate. It has a sensory room and a computer room designed to help children with special needs.

The school also runs its own mini-bus and picks up children who have difficulty getting to the sessions.

Mrs Hanson said: "The school gives families support and the children are able to learn at their own level. They would not be able to cope in a mainstream pre-school."

Mrs Hanson is appealing for donations and can be phoned on 01293 417611.