Members of a West Sussex community were dismayed today after their bid for national lottery cash to renovate their village hall was rejected.

Residents of Clapham and Patching were sure the hall met the criteria when they submitted their bid for £150,000 from lottery's community fund.

Groups including the parish council, sports clubs, primary school, Women's Institute and Brownies all use the hall.

Beverley Bacon, chairman of the village hall management committee, said: "The Community Fund was set up to give grants to deserving community causes so I don't understand why we have been turned down.

"When you look at what it has awarded money to, it makes me think perhaps we are in the wrong postcode.

"We have given up applying because we have lost faith with their system of giving out grants."

Committee member David Gillard said: "The Government is always talking about sustainable village life and we have got a community asset which we are trying to improve, so why don't we qualify for money?"

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which distributes money on behalf of the National Lottery Community Fund, said it could not comment on individual cases.

A spokesman said: "The community fund targets socially deprived areas."