A lifeline' service for 300 adults with disabilities will be scaled down and could close unless extra funding can be found.

Barnet Mencap, based in Hendon Lane, Finchley, is appealing for cash donations after learning that the Big Lottery Fund will not be giving it another grant to run its Community Opportunities project, which the charity had received for the past six years.

Barnet Mencap was hoping for around £200,000 over three years to fund the project, which has been used by between 250 and 300 people aged 16 to 80 in the past year.

Most of the money needed for the project comes from the Big Lottery Fund, and with that cash source now gone, project manager Shelly Gibbons said she has begun laying off staff and is planning how to cut back the service. The only other money that comes in is a £19-a-year subscription from people who use the service.

The Community Opportunities project gives disabled adults the chance to go out, accompanied by Mencap staff, to visit museums, pubs, theatres and bowling alleys. Mrs Gibbons said the social lives of many disabled adults in Barnet will be severely curtailed if she has to stop running the project.

She said: "It gives people a chance to be more independent and it's a lifeline for many, affecting people's lives in all kinds of ways. We were told by Big Lottery Fund it was a good bid, but it is oversubscribed. There's not enough money in the pot."

Mrs Gibbons said she would begin cutting back the service from April, adding: "The members will notice a difference in the project. We are writing letters to explain we are not going to be able to do as many things in the future as we have done in the past."

Asked if the scheme could close, she added: "Yes, it's possible."

Eunice Ezekwugo, of Crossway, North Finchley, agrees the project is a lifeline. Her son, Chidi, 29, has cerebral palsy and uses the service regularly. Mrs Ezekwugo said: "The servicegives them the opportunity to interact as a group with the general public and feel a part of the community. It allows them to see they have the ability to do things in spite of their limitations.

"Without it I can't imagine what life would be like for this group of people."

A Big Lottery Fund spokesman said: "The fund is committed to supporting community organisations in London, with more than £2million awarded from our Reaching Communities programme in December alone. The wide-reaching appeal of Big Lottery funding has meant that applying for a grant is a competitive business and the demand for funding far exceeds the amount of money available."

Donations should be sent to: Barnet Mencap, 23-25 Hendon Lane, Finchley, N3 1RT or call 020 8349 3842.