A SOCIAL club in Worcester that came back from the brink of closure is worried it will have to cancel a number of functions because it has not got enough money to repair the leaking roof.
We previously reported that in just 12 months, committee members of the Rainbow Hill Ex-Servicemen's Social Club, in Mayfield Road, Worcester, managed to clear debts of about £38,000 through a series of fund-raising events and donations.
The massive overheads were left over from the previous committee, but that debt has left the club with a poor track record with its bank which has refused to grant a loan to repair the roof, which treasurer Anne Morgan said requires about £20,000 to do.
"It's not like we can't afford to pay it back," she said. "We have proved we can but nobody's going to take it on because of our previous record.
"The roof's becoming like a colander. We have seven or eight functions coming up in the next five months and, unfortunately, we might have to cancel them."
Although she said the club recently managed to hold a function using two industrial dehumidifyers to prevent water dripping, she is worried more extreme weather conditions will cause the club problems.
However, Mrs Morgan said members are running out of ideas after a series of unsuccessful attempts to get the money the club needs.
"We tried to get a lottery grant but we got turned down," she said. "We don't want anybody to take out a loan because that's unfair."
Acting chairman Diane Catstrey said the club has, so far, had to look to its members to make temporary repairs to the roof.
"It's just a shame if we don't get the help," she said.
The club has been at its current site since the 1950s and at its peak had 1,000 members. If you would like to help raise money for the roof or would like more information about becoming a member contact the club on 01905 22641.
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