A community television channel which was under threat of closure, has been saved by a crowdfunding ‘community shares’ campaign that raised more than £300,000 in just under a month.

The Community Channel, which is owned by the Media Trust, is dedicated to the charity sector, giving it – and community organisations – the chance to “mobilise and access millions of people”.

But the channel, which was launched in 2000, was under threat of closure unless it raised a target £300,000 figure by 30 June, to “give it time to then increase its revenue from partnerships and advertising”.

As a result, it offered viewers and members of the community a chance to own part of the channel through the campaign.

On Friday, a statement by the channel thanked “everyone for investing and donating to our community shares campaign”.

“We're extremely grateful to everyone who helped spread the word,” the statement said.

“It is because of our faith in the channel that this morning, we reached our £300,000 goal!”

The Community Shares campaign closed at 10pm on Sunday night, raising a total of £367,200. The channel is available free on Sky, Virgin and Freeview to 26 million households.