FRIENDS of Newbridge's Memo are today vowing to continue their battle to restore the 'jewel of the Valleys' - despite narrowly losing the £3 million Restoration programme prize.

In a nail-biting final at Hampton Court Palace last night the Memo, built as a memorial to the miners who lost their lives during the First World War, was a close second to the Old Grammar School and Saracen's Head at King's Norton Green Birming-ham.

It was heartbreaking for the more than 50 supporters gathered at the Memo and 90 who travelled to London for the live BBC2 final.

But Howard Stone, chairman of the supporters' group, Friends of the Memo, vowed: "We are not down in the mouth about it. There is disappointment, but we are going to re-group and double our efforts. "We started without Restoration and we can start again."

The Argus was the official newspaper in the Memo's bid for the prize fund made up of a £2.5 million National Heritage Lottery Grant and £506,138 added to the fund after 750,000 phone votes.

The official Newbridge Memo website crashed during last night's show as thousands of people tried to find out more about the building.

The site has been receiving more than 700 hits an hour - one every five seconds. Technicians were working today to restore it.

One of the supporters at the Memo last night, Diane Tilley, 69, said she met her husband Bill, 70, at a dance in the hall 53 years ago.

She said: "We are disappointed the Memo just lost out. Me and my husband celebrate our golden wedding on Sunday and will be coming here to mark it."

Another couple who met at the hall in the 60s, Barbara Kimber, 59, and her husband, Trevor, 61, were also saddened.

Mrs Kimber said: "There is a bit of heartache because the building means so much to the community.

"But we are all 100 per cent behind it now and will start doing as much as possible to raise funds."

Gillian and Andrew Gingell, of Newbridge, went to the cinema at the Memo.

"We are gutted but we are still winners because we will pull together as a community," said Mr Gingell.

One member of the Friends of the Memo committee, Malcolm Jones, said that the disappointment will spur the community on to raise funds.

He said: "We started this idea about 15 months ago - it snowballed into this great cause, and I think by 2008 we could be well on the way to restoring it. There is no loser in this. We will raise the profile and we will get the money."

The art deco Memo was up against seven other finalists to win the prize which would have restored the Valleys treasure to its former glory.

Third placed was Gayle Mill, in north Yorkshire.