TUCKED away in a corner of St John's, the curtain fell on a unique Worcester venue at the weekend.

Positioned just behind the Worcester News building, the Westside club's success over the past 19 years was certainly not because of the views it commanded.

Rather, the converted warehouse thrived because it offered something that few clubs provide in the 21st Century - a relaxed entertainment venue that appealed to families.

With four bars, eight snooker tables, a pool table, bowling alleys, arcade games and even fairground-style grab-a-teddy machines, it catered for pretty much everyone.

Add into the mix a sorts of different music, and karaoke stages, function rooms and a list of famous entertainers down the years and you have a cross between a traditional pub, a cabaret bar, a nightclub and a kid's party venue.

On Friday and Saturday nights the Westside was a place to party and drink, throughout the week and during the day it was a social club and games hall to its regulars.

Karl Willis, who worked at the venue for eight years, summed it up. "It's somewhere you could go and have a drink, or play snooker or bowling and take the kids," he said. "It's friendly and you could bring the whole family."

"All the staff are going to miss it. We are all good friends - most are just mates who love helping out down here."

His brother, Mark Willis, who managed the centre for 10 years, agreed.

"Anywhere all your mates come down you get really attached to and although I managed the place and worked there, it was also a big part of my social life," he said.

"It'll be seriously missed.

"There's nowhere else quite like it really. You get your local pubs and you get bowling alleys and snooker halls but not altogether, in one friendly and warm place.

"The appeal is difficult to explain - it all just fitted together and worked and you can't recreate that easily."

In fact, for a Phoenix Nights-style social club - think less of the farce and more of the fun - the Westside club succeeded for the very modern reason that it successfully diversified as a business.

Owners Dave and Jakki Woods bought it in 1986 as a 4,000sq ft warehouse and quadrupled it in size over the years with bowling, snooker, bars and a host of other rooms.

How many other nightclubs in Worcester are open and busy on weekday mornings? Where else could you see Jimmy White play snooker on one visit, listen to Bernard Manning the next and hold a kids' bowling party on the third?

Snooker, pool and 10-pin bowling are all available elsewhere in the city, but not in the same venue as karaoke, pop groups, star performers and a choice of bars or a club.

Dave and Jakki decided to sell up after receiving an offer - from an as yet undisclosed source - and it will not just be the Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones tribute singers who will be missed at Westside.

The couple themselves entertained thousands over the years - Dave as a keyboard player and both as singers - and the duo were the main ingredients for what are fondly remembered as the club's best nights.

"The most memorable times were Christmas and New Year's Eves down here. Dave and Jakki did the entertainment and it's a great laugh," said Karl.

Mark added: "We used to open out the whole venue - it was ticket only because it's so busy and you ended up with family and friends having a great time together in one big party.

"You can't really ask for much more than that from a place.

"We never had any trouble - it was just a place to bring your mates and have a laugh and there aren't too many others like it."

Westside did entertainment its way - to paraphrase the Frank Sinatra tribute acts down the years - and unique is how the thousands it delighted will fondly remember it.

A sign on the door on Sunday simply said Closed to the public - sorry for any inconvenience.

Inconvenience? No. More like thanks for the memories.