Uncertainty surrounds the future of the premises of Penrith’s Royal British Legion Club, income at which has been hit hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Many users of the club — members of the Royal British Legion Penrith branch and the ladies’ branch — believed the club closed for good on Saturday.
However, they say they have not been able to contact local officials to find out what is going on, and attempts by the Herald to contact those in charge at the club have not succeeded.
A notice at the club — located in Musgrave House, Middlegate, since 1964 — states it is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
A regional Royal British Legion spokesman said: “The club has struggled since the lockdown and the committee have decided they can no longer financially continue, but it will be for the members to decide if it is to close.
“Only if that decision is taken would we start to consider what happens to the site.
“We will support the branch to ensure they have a facility that meets their needs, as well as supporting the club in the complex process of the business closure, should the members decide to close.”
The spokesman explained that clubs like the one at Penrith are run entirely separately from the Royal British Legion’s branches and the charity’s welfare work.
The charity has no responsibility for the management of the clubs, which are run as businesses, effectively being private members’ clubs affiliated to the legion but not under its direct control.
