NAZEING Youth Club is to close its doors after 40 years, owing to a sharp fall in membership.o

The club, which was started in the mid-1960s, has suffered from diminished local support over the past few years, says the youth service team leader David Stone.

Mr Stone said: "Although it's a very lively, traditional club with a variety of activities for youngsters, like pool, table tennis and computers, it has been severely affected by falling membership.

"We've only got about 12 youngsters coming to use the facilities regularly which is clearly not enough for a large village like Nazeing."

The club in Bumbles Green is open on Tuesdays and Fridays, between 8pm to 11pm.

Mark Hughes, the divisional manager of youth services in Essex, told Nazeing parish council about the decision to close the club by the end of March and sell off the centre.

The proceeds will be used in other areas in the district, like Loughton, which require a youth centre.

As a last effort to boost membership, the parish council has decided to run the club at the leisure centre, near the Bumbles Green centre, on a four-month trial.

Clerk Mary Rogers said: "We want to maintain the continuity of the club. In the meantime we will be looking out for a suitable site for a new village hall or a youth club within the parish."

But Mr Stone thinks the idea could backfire, saying: "The main reason for the loss of interest is that the club is in an isolated place with not an awful lot of habitation around it.

"To make matters worse, there's no bus service at night, therefore youngsters are forced to walk this dangerous stretch of road at night.

"Because the leisure centre is nearby, I don't personally think it will make that much of a difference as youngsters would still have to walk to get to the centre."

February 7, 2002 08:30