'SAVE our dance school' and 'Hands off our hut' were the clear messages from families protesting against the sale of St Mary's church hall.

Around 150 members of the 10th Warrington (St Mary's) Scout Group and Felicia Burns Dance School, who use the Great Sankey church hall and the surrounding land, turned out in force to have their say.

Both groups face an uncertain future if the sale of the building goes ahead leading to calls for the church to renegotiate their deal with a youth organisation, which had been announced as the preferred bidder, and instead let the dance school buy the building.

Cllr Kevin Burgess, whose two daughters attend the dance group, said: "We want to keep the community together and we're hoping the church will renegotiate to save the dance school and the scout hut.

"They have basically said to us the door is shut but we can raise the money.

"The scouts have been using the hut for more than 55 years and every year the dance school picks a children's charity and puts on a show at the Parr Hall which has raised more than £50,000 so we're not talking about a one-man band.

"Our message is please don't turn us all away and let's please renegotiate."

It is estimated around 350 children attend the dance school every week while the scouts currently have around 50 members.

Cllr Hitesh Patel will also be writing to the church after campaigners successfully registered the land as an 'asset of community value'.

It is understood this means the seller needs to take into account both group's interest in the land.

A spokesman for St Mary’s Great Sankey Church Council said: “We fully understand their disappointment but as we have previously said this was a full, fair and open process and to renegotiate would be wrong and unfair to the other bidders."

It is understood the church did not choose the highest bidder during the process but instead considered the 'social capital' each bid offered.