A ROYAL British Legion club has been forced to close after 79 years because it was unable to attract new members.
Dwindling use of the Leatherhead and Fetcham branch's club in Upper Fairfield Road had left it in a vulnerable position at the start of this year.
Those in charge then urged their 150 existing members to use the club or lose it, as well as trying to attract new ones, but their efforts were not enough to prevent the club's closure.
Branch secretary Jane Summerfield said: "We did everything we could to keep it going but the club is a business, not a charity, and the members were not supporting it enough for it to continue. We had to close it or the branch was going to be in debt.
"It's a combination of many things. I think people are just staying in more these days, but it's a shame because it's killing off the idea of the community getting together."
Mrs Summerfield said the Leatherhead and Fetcham branch would continue to use the venue for meetings until Remembrance Day in November, but that the long-term future of the branch was uncertain.
She will also continue to run the Poppy Appeal for the area with her husband, Derrick – who is the Royal British Legion's county vice chairman – from home.
Mary Marshall, 71, told the Advertiser she had been attending the club for the last seven years.
"Mrs Summerfield put in so much time. I do not think she could have done anything more," she said.
"The committee all worked hard to keep it going but people didn't use it enough. I think it's going on all over the country. People just don't use the clubs any more.
"It's such a lovely club but I think it's just a different way of life now.
"As older members are passing away there are no new young people joining. I think people just buy a bottle of wine and sit in now.
"I had some great times there. For an older person like me in my 70s, I just used to feel more comfortable than going to a pub."
Canon Peter Bruinvels, who was county field officer for the British Legion for just under 11 years, said: "I think it is a very sad loss because it was a huge part of the community and it used to be very well-used.
"It was a great meeting place for veterans but times are hard and I think a lot of clubs are finding it difficult with the rising costs of running these places.
"So I think it was probably inevitable but it's very sad, particularly for that club because there is a strong history there."
The women's section of the branch will continue to meet at the North Leatherhead Community Association's centre in Kingston Road.
