THE new secretary of Wellington and District Conservative Club has dismissed rumours the club in High Street is to close amid financial problems.

Allan Martin also denied that the club is up for sale and would not re-open again.

“To dispel all rumours circulating and comments written in the press of recent times, I’d like to put these to bed through the Wellington Weekly News,” he said.

“The club is not going to close down or be sold off, and currently has no financial problems. Like all businesses we are going through a difficult time being closed.

“When the Government instructions allow, we will open the club again and follow the Government guidelines to the letter, making sure all members and guests will be safe. This has been our policy from the beginning of this horrendous pandemic. The club is closed until further notice due to Government guidelines. However, memberships were due for renewal as normal on January 1, 2021. The membership fees remain the same.

“To allow members to pay their subscriptions, we have set up a system for this: You can renew your membership by sending a cheque either by post, or post it through the letter box at the Conservative Club. Please ensure your name, address and details are included with the cheque. Payment by credit/debit card can also be made through the treasurer on 07773 010523. Members requiring club car park permits will receive these by post.

“You can also find information through the Wellington Conservative Club website, https://wellingtonconservativeclub.wordpress.com

“Let’s hope these coronavirus restrictions will be short-lived and enable everyone to get back to some sort of normality very soon.”

Only three months ago, former club chairman Brian Smith warned the club could close permanently if there was no ‘significant improvement in revenue’.

He said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had been severe and the club was running at a ‘significant loss’.

In a letter to its 650 members he said at the time: “We have taken the decision to write to all of our members to provide an update on our financial situation – this decision has not been taken lightly but the impact of the coronavirus epidemic has been very severe and we wanted you to understand what this means for your club.”