IT is the end of an era for hundreds of people who enjoy a quiet pint among familiar faces in Chipping Sodbury with the announcement that Hanson Social Club is to close.

The club, on Quarry Road, has been running for 45 years and is the last in the country offering employees of Hanson Aggregates and the wider community a place to meet and relax in a lounge bar, play skittles or to hire for parties, weddings and wakes.

Hanson revealed it would no longer subsidise the club, which last year paid £350 peppercorn rent, and is selling the land. The building, once a canteen for Hanson staff working at the now regenerated Barnhill Quarry, will not meet new European health and legislation which comes into effect in 2017 and despite attempts to find an alternative venue, both by the club and Hanson, the 500-strong members were last week given the news that it would close on January 8, 2016.

Chairman Ted Green told the Gazette: “It was inevitable. “The committee is very sad and I know that our membership is going to be upset about it.

“The building as it is will not meet new standards and without financial help we would not be able to keep the club anyway, even if they were not selling the land. Hanson is definitely not prepared to put anything into it so we would be looking at paying between £15,000 and £20,000 a year for a building and we just cannot do it.”

He said the timing was particularly sad as the club had recently seen a resurgence in membership and bookings.

“We are fully booked up until 2016,” said Mr Green, an electrician at Hanson who has been chairman of the club for eight years.

“Our new steward David Gale has really helped to turn the club around and we have been having elderly people from local homes brought up by bus for a cup of tea and to play bowls, we have skittles six nights a week and are booked for weddings, birthday parties, christenings and wakes.”

Robin White, who manages the club’s summer and winter skittles league, said: “It had been talked about for years but was more or less sprung on us a few months ago that they were selling the land.

“Originally we were told we had to be out by November but because of our winter league we negotiated to stay until January 8.”

He said an alternative alley to use for skittles was being sought with possibilities including Jacksons Social Club in Yate.

Club regular Reg Woodman said: “Everybody knows everybody and it is about the last place you can go where you can say that.”

David Weeks, spokesman for Hanson, said the company had already sold a concrete pre-mix plant next to the club and had now reached an agreement to sell the land the social club is on, which it understands will be the subject of a planning application for new housing.

“We have been talking to the club for a long time about this and they have been aware they would have to move,” he said.

“The subsidy was coming to an end and the building has effectively been condemned so they would not have been able to continue the lease after this year. We looked at potentially moving them but they decided it was not for them.

“We will help them and support them move out.”

The club will honour all bookings in 2015.

Ends

AW