A PENDLE town’s last remaining toy shop is about to shut its doors as a result of the credit crunch.

Fun and Games, owned by Glenn Whittaker and Janet Henderson, opened in the Town Square, Barnoldswick, seven years ago, but trade has gone downhill and its closure looks likely.

Mr Whittaker, also a Barnoldswick town coun-cillor, said: “If you’re not doing any trade it’s time to go. We were busy up until two years ago and then in the last 12 months it has gone way downhill.

“I guess the state of the economy is making money tighter for people, but it’s not just that. These days, fewer and fewer people are shopping in town.”

Miss Henderson added: “It’s a shame traditional toy shops like ours are all closing. We thought there was call for this kind of shop when we opened.

“We looked to see what the town needed at the time and we thought we had cornered the market.”

Mr Whittaker said other local shops had also had to close because people did their shopping on the internet or went out of town to supermarkets. He said by offering traditional toys Fun and Games had tried to steer away from the goods supermarkets were selling, but the bottom line was it was not what people wanted.

Mr Whittaker, who also does dry stone walling and handyman work, said he and Miss Henderson had put a lot of work into the shop.

Miss Henderson said: “I will miss the chatter with customers and generally knowing what’s going on around town. It’s not just a job, it’s a way of life.”

Town councillor Jenny Purcell added: “It’s the only shop where I can go to keep my grandchildren happy.

“It’s one of the best little shops going.”

Mr Whittaker said the toy shop had started a sale and he and his partner would take it from week to week before deciding when to close.