RESIDENTS have been urged to use a community centre after its once-popular luncheon club was suspended.

Darwen Valley Community Centre in Sudellside Street had run the over-50s club every Thursday for years, but the committee decided to suspend the service until further notice.

Centre management board chairman David Jackson said: “The Thursday lunch club has had to be suspended indefinitely due to a sharp decline in the number of people attending and a significant lack of volunteers.

“The Darwen District Community Association and Darwen Valley Community Centre management board thank all those who attended past and present and ask them not to attend until further notice.”

Mayor of Darwen Town Council Eileen Entwistle, who is also a member of the centre’s management board, said they wanted more people to use it.

She said: “I think with Elizabeth House, which was just across the road, closing down, we have lost some people from that. There is still quite a bit going on at the centre but obviously we would like more. We’d also like more volunteers to come forward to help out.”

Coun Entwistle said the centre, which opened as the Sudellside Centre in 1991, still housed a number of activities, including an art group, craft group and martial arts groups.

She said: “We run it completely now, which is not easy.The council had to withdraw its funding. They have supported us, but it has been difficult.”

Sudell councillor Roy Davies said it wasn’t enough to run the lunch club just once a week.

He said: “Years ago people would pick up their pension on a Thursday then go to the centre for their lunch. Now that pensions are paid straight into people’s bank accounts, it doesn’t work like that.

“They would need to run it every day but to do that they need to employ someone.”