Smoking ban is forcing us to close, says social club (From The Northern Echo)

Smoking ban is forcing us to close, says social club

9:33am Tuesday 26th June 2007

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THE ban on smoking in public places, due to be introduced on Sunday, has proved the last straw for a debt-ridden social club.

Catterick Village Social Club will close in August with debts of about £20,000.

Officials say a falling membership and rising costs mean they will never be able to repay creditors if the North Yorkshire club stays open.

Secretary Bryan Bonser said: "It is very sad - the club fulfils a very special place in the village and it will never be replaced.

"Unfortunately, far too many organisations can put their hands directly into our bank account for licences, taxes and other overheads and the national trend now is to drink at home.

"The new smoking ban is the last straw. More than half of our members are heavy smokers. We've been told by quite a few that they won't be coming in as often once the ban starts.

"I used to be a heavy smoker and I understand that a pint isn't the same without a cigarette."

The club, which has more than 250 members, has been running for more than 60 years.

Mr Bonser said it needed a turnover of about £2,000 a week to keep going - it currently has takings of about £1,300.

He said: "Ten years ago, the membership used to be 1,000. They would be working members who would come in after work, have four or five pints and then go home. Although the club is still cheap, you can now get a six-pack from the Co-op for 80p a can.

"The committee has done everything it can to find a way forward, but this problem has been building up for five years."

The club building, which is owned by its members, is likely to be sold off for redevelopment.

Officials estimate that each member will get £800 to £1,000 once the debts have been settled.

A meeting will take place at 8pm on Wednesday, August 1, and the club is due to close on August 12, with the steward and cleaner losing their jobs.

Dragon fires up quitters to help charity

DRAGON'S Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne is urging smokers planning to quit this week to support a children's charity.

Mr Bannatyne, who is fiercely anti-smoking, is calling on those stubbing out to donate the money they save to Make a Child Smile.

A quarter of the population smoke cigarettes, cigars or a pipe - but in the North-East that rises to 29 per cent.

From Sunday, nearly all enclosed public places and workplaces in England will become smoke free.

Figures show a third of smokers in the North plan to give up smoking at the start of the ban.

Mr Bannatyne said: "NHS figures show 106,000 people in the UK die each year due to smoking.

"Once the ban comes into force, the atmosphere in pubs, clubs and workplaces will be greatly enhanced and lives will be saved.

"As well as the obvious health benefits, if every smoker who is planning to quit donates the cost of just one packet of cigarettes every month to Make a Child Smile, many sick and disadvantaged children in the Tees Valley will also be helped."

He has asked smokers to donate £4.90 a month - the average cost of a packet of cigarettes - to the charity by standing order.

The North-East-based entrepreneur, who is worth a reported £200m and whose chain of health clubs includes a branch in Darlington, is one of the stars of the television show, The Dragon's Den.

Make a Child Smile helps children in Teesside, County Durham and North Yorkshire who are sick and underprivileged.

More details about the charity can be found at www.make achildsmile.co.uk or contact Heather Bundzenieks on 01642-888222.

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