WESTBURY Seniors Club is shutting down for good after 50 years in the town, due to a lack of interest.
The club, which arranged a variety of activities and events for its pensioner members, will disband after their Christmas lunch on Wednesday 2nd December.
There has been a seniors club in the town for more than half a century, but a falling membership and lack of support means the current committee has decided not to continue into 2010.
Valerie White, the seniors club chairman for the last two years said, “Membership was going down every year, people were becoming less interested. Every March we’d have an annual meeting, asking ‘What would you like to do this year?’ and it was always the same, no real interest.”
Valerie said that recently, of the 40 members of the club, around 25 had been turning up regularly. She said that some current members can remember their mothers going to the club years ago.
She added, “It’s a shame. Those who come enjoy it and it’s a shame for them. Believe you me, it has taken a lot of soul searching, but we saw the writing on the wall about a year ago. We don’t have any alternative. It would have finished a couple of years ago as there was no-one to carry it on, but a couple of us younger bloods thought we’d give it a go.”
The club arranged a variety of activities for its members, including day trips, guest speakers, coffee mornings and fundraising activities. Members paid a subscription of £4 a year to join.
Valerie added that she was now cancelling the 10 speakers that the group had already booked for next year.
The Christmas dinner will be the last event that Westbury Seniors Club holds, at Grassacres Hall on Wednesday 2nd December between 2.00pm-3.30pm. The club has booked a musical comedy act called ‘Music and Mirth”
Valerie said, “We’ll be going out with a bang!”
