A charity working to break down barriers between teenagers and pensioners says it needs thousands of pounds for refurbishments and is asking people to vote for them.

Waltham Forest Community Hub is bidding for a £14,000 grant to build a ramp for wheelchair users and resurface its carpark which has potholes.

The charity based in Orford Road, Walthamstow was founded in 2005 as The Asian Centre Waltham Forest and a number of sports clubs and support groups use the Grade 2 locally listed building.

Hundreds of people have already voted for the charity in the Aviva Community Fund grant scheme.

Managing Director Monwara Ali said: “It’s a struggle for people with wheelchairs, Zimmer frames and mobility scooters to get in the door and we have to help them.

“The ground in the carpark is really uneven and there are a couple of big drops near the door.

“One of the ladies who attends our seniors’ group is 89 and has had a few falls, not in our centre but elsewhere.

“She now finds it difficult to get around and uses a mobile scooter.

“We have no secure place to store food and because the hub is used by many different groups sometimes our food goes missing.”

Ms Ali hopes the grant will cover the cost of installing low worktops in the kitchen so wheelchair users can help with meal preparation.

More than £3,000 has been raised through fundraising events including a recent show by Walthamstow-based Starlighter Musical Theatre Company.

The charity runs an intergenerational project which sees members of a youth group team up with the seniors’ club for cultural trips and Christmas celebrations.

Ms Ali said: “It’s not easy. The generations are quite far apart and it’s a challenge to break down stereotypes.

“One day we organised a trip and didn’t tell the groups they were going with each other and when the seniors turned up we told them they had to share the bus with the youths.

“They interviewed the seniors and they were pleased that somebody wanted to know about their lives.

“If we don’t get the grant it will be so much harder for us.

“If we had to stop using the centre it wouldn’t suit some people because we are right in the village near all the sheltered accommodation and some of them can’t travel long distances.”

To vote click here.

Voting closes on Tuesday, November 21.