ORGANISATIONS based at a historical community building are in “limbo” as they await the fate of the estate.

Avenue House in East End Road, Finchley faces a black hole after losing £35,200 in its annual income which has left its tenants unsure about their own future.

Having secured enough funding to see it through March, Avenue House Estate Trust currently needs to raise between £15,000 and £20,000 by the end of April.

If it fails to bring in sufficient funding the grade II listed mid-Victorian mansion and grounds would be closed to the public and handed over to Barnet Council.

Fenella Lemonsky rents a room at the estate where she holds her monthly North London Eating Disorders Support Group.

The meetings help men and women recover from disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

Ms Lemonsky said: “I’m in limbo because no one knows what’s going to happen and I just feel extremely vulnerable.

“I work with vulnerable people who are not well and they need to have a safe warm environment around them but it has been impossible to find somewhere with the same calibre and quality as Avenue House.”

Ms Lemonsky has started to look for rooms to rent elsewhere in the borough but is reluctant to move in case the estate remains open.

She said: “We have been at the house for over eight years – I love it, the people in my group love it and it would be a real blow if we have to leave.”

Manager of Avenue House Estate Trust, Janet Durrant, said the leases are held by the council and the trust is not clear whether the current tenants will have to move out if the estate closes.

However, Ms Lemonsky said this “confusion” is causing her “so much stress” because she does not know whether to stay at the estate or to find another room.

The Finchley Society host their monthly and committee meetings at the estate and have housed their extensive archive of old photographs, including over 1,500 postcards, maps, press cuttings, old letters and artefacts in the basement for around 30 years.

Chairman of society, David Smith said: “If the house did close we would be in a very difficult position because we would have nowhere else to go.

“Our archive room, which is a tremendous asset for us, would take up around four to five rooms in an ordinary house and we don’t have that kind of space.

“The house and the grounds themselves embody so much of the history of Finchley and it would be a shame for everyone if they were to close.

“At the moment we don’t know what to expect and we just have to wait and see.”

Finchley Nurseries Garden Centre has supplied Avenue House with plants for around 10 years.

The store’s owner Pat Stockley said: "The estate tries to preserve the types of plants that have always been there for the community to enjoy.

"Over the years we have helped trace rare plants for the grounds.

“It’s about the historical value and it would be such a loss to the community if it were to close.”

A council spokesperson said: “The council is in contact with the lessees of Avenue House about their current difficulties.

“We very much hope they will be in a position to continue to manage the building."