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A club that was once at the heart of a village community has been forced to close its doors after falling victim to the credit crunch.
The closure on Monday marks the end of the 90-year history of the Eastchurch Club and Institute.
Secretary Tony Read said the decision to close had been made unanimously by the financial committee.
In a letter to members, he said: “This is due to very poor trading, which leaves us unable to pay our bills.”
Once the hub of social life in Eastchurch, the club’s heyday was in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and it is fondly remembered.
Alan Cooper, 72, of Bramley Way, who was president from 1987-88, said: “It was once the centre of social activity, so the closure is a very sad day for the village.
“Unfortunately in this day and age it is very difficult for the licensed trade to make any money.”
Established in 1921, the building itself was made up from two Army huts that had been brought over from Leysdown.
Douglas Brawn, 84, of Church Road, a member since 1943, said: “My father helped build the club in 1921 and it’s a bit of a sorry state that it has to close – but if you don’t use it, you will lose it, and this is what’s happened.”
Mr Read’s father-in-law Terry Holkam, 72, of Warden Road, who served on the committee for 25 years, said: “Years ago the club used to be packed out, but recently they were losing money week by week – it’s a sad day for Eastchurch, but you just can’t carry on like that.”
Sheppey Central councillor John Morris, a former club secretary, is also mourning its passing, but says that it might have been saved if people had worked as volunteers.
He said: “The wage bill must have been high, but I have seen clubs that are just staffed by volunteers and there are enough people in the village who could have kept it going.
“We had wonderful fun in the 1970s – there was an invasion of Londoners who used to come to the club and there was always a huge crowd.”
