A fresh appeal has been launched for volunteers to help run the Wellington community centre, which is threatened with closure.

Successive attempts to convene meetings have failed after sufficient numbers failed to attend them. According to the secretary of the centre, Jill Milton, the community hall will fail unless 'fresh blood' comes onboard. She said:

"We have been forced to cancel meetings, we have a shortage of attendees, we really need more people to attend. We want people to put their name forward to stand on the management committee.

"We are down to five members, but really it should be ten members. All the members are old, we're all pensioners, and we're all looking to step back a bit. What we really don't want is for the centre to fail.

Jill said that unless new volunteers come forward, the community centre faces closure. She raised concerns over committee members continued ability to carry out their work, and the difficulties associated with some manual tasks such as changing lightbulbs or climbing ladders.

"We've got two committee members in their mid-80s, and husband is 80 next year, that's our problem. We are looking for young blood to join the team, not least because we want new and fresh ideas. The youngsters know more about what's going on than we do."

Over the past decade the community centre has benefitted from renovations, and now hosts a range of events, local groups, charities for a knock-down price. Jill is proud of the service that the community centre offers, and fears the consequences of it closing down.

"The centre is fantastic, it is so well used. We have had a new accessible toilet put in, all new windows, doors, we have had it decorated - it really is lovely. We have had so much usage of the centre since the management committee took over, whereas it was about to fail 11 years ago. We don't want to go back into that situation.

"The centre hires out its rooms, Alcoholics Anonymous meets their twice a week which I'm really pleased about. Without us where would they go? It's such a needed service in Wellington. We rent out the main hall for £6 an hour and we have a back room for meetings that costs £4 an hour.

"It would break my heart to see it fail after all ten years of hard work to get it where it is now."

Jill had a message for Wellington residents who would like to see the community centre doors remain open: "My message is we need you. It belongs to the people of Wellington - it was gifted to the people of the town - without you helping we could lose the centre."

The next annual general meeting of the community centre association is scheduled for Thursday, June 1 at 6.30pm. It will follow an open evening beginning at 5.30pm. Residents over the age of 18 are invited to attend the meeting and stand for a position on the management committee.

For more information on applying for a position, contact Jill Milton on 01823 666 233