STAFF at a charity which helps children with cerebral palsy are a step closer to their dream of building a £1.2m centre of excellence in Fareham.

A new application has been submitted to planners for the Rainbow Centre, on council-owned land at Cams Alders, off Newgate Lane.

Staff had to go back to the drawing board after a modern circular facility failed to attract funders, but now they are back on track with a more conventional building which they hope to complete within two years.

They are busy fundraising for their new home, which will provide facilities for 60 children - 20 more than those catered for at their former premises in Quay Street.

It will also help adults with cerebral palsy, stroke sufferers and those with Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

The designs include a sensory garden, hydrotherapy pool, classrooms and consulting rooms.

Helen Somerset-How founded the charity in her living room 14 years ago. The administration and fundraising manager said: "If there are any millionaires out there who want to come on board, we would be more than happy to hear from them!

"But we do want to stress that we are contacting trusts who have funds available to support this sort of thing.

"It's not a public appeal. We need the kind people who raise funds for the Rainbow Centre to keep doing so for our day-to-day costs or we will have to fold and we can't do that after 14 years."

The Linbury Trust has already pledged £100,000 towards the cost of the building.

Phase one of the development will provide the facilities the charity had in their former base - two large teaching areas, an observation room, office space, storage facilities and toilets.

The added facilities in phase two of the development will be a hydrotherapy suite, accommodation, consulting rooms and adult facilities.

Practitioners will be invited to hire out facilities for physiotherapy and treatments in the evenings to help pay for running costs.

The Rainbow Centre had to move because of redevelopment plans for the town centre's Foundry site.

A temporary home has been found at Cams Hill School in Portchester.