The future of an Aberdeenshire town’s Royal British Legion club is hanging in the balance amid crippling financial difficulties.
Members of the branch in Ellon are to decide its fate during crisis talks next week, with a lack of use being cited as the main reason the venue is struggling to make ends meet.
Despite rumours in the town of the club’s imminent demise, no decision regarding its closure has been made and the members who attend the upcoming extraordinary general meeting will decide the best way forward.
The meeting – which has been organised on the advice of Legion Scotland’s head office – will give members the opportunity to hear the facts and figures before being presented with options for the future of the group.
They will then have their say on what they feel should happen to the club, which has served the town and surrounding area for more than 50 years.
Vice-chairman George Bowman said: “While I am not going to go into the details of the financial situation, that is the reason for this meeting.
“I think the main reason we have come to this point is that, over the years, members have perhaps not been using the club as much as they should have been.”
It is understood that the club has been struggling to stay afloat for a number of years, however the situation has now reached a critical point.
Should the club close, it would impact on the wider community with a number of groups using the Legion as a meeting space as well as for events, fundraisers and entertainment.
The announcement of the meeting on social media was met with sadness from Ellon residents, with people commenting that the potential closure was “so, so sad” and “such a shame”.
As only members are able to vote at the meeting, and thereby decide the club’s fate, the committee have urged all current members to attend and make their voices heard.
The meeting will take place at the club on Station Road on Thursday, January 16, at 7.30pm.
