A YOUTH club that has been run by the same couple for 33 years is to close in the New Year.

Lin and Pete Dew have run Bridport House Club since 1977 and wanted to hand it on to a successor.

But no-one is willing to take on the commitment and the club, which meets in St Mary’s Church hall, will close on its last ever fancy dress disco party on January 5.

Mr Dew said: “We have been looking for somebody to take over for some time but no one is willing to take on the commitment.

“It’s not the turning up on the night – that’s easy – it’s the planning and the administration, sometimes on a daily basis.

“We’re on the wrong side of 50 and we felt it was time to call it a day.”

In its heyday the club, which caters for youngsters from seven to 18, was attracting 100 or more at its monthly meetings.

Now there are still around 40 who benefit from the programme and that has always included activities the youngsters would not normally be able to do in other circumstances.

There have been adventure trips, shows, treasure hunts, weekends away on quad bikes and jet skies, the carnival, discos, games, sports, magicians, circus skills or dance.

The couple saw a need for a club that catered for younger children than the youth service did then and was less formal than the Scouts or Brownies.

Alice Tuck, 17, chairman of House Club said she had been going for nine years and it was a terrible shame it was having to close.

She said: “It has helped me with a lot of team building and it has really boosted my confidence working with different people and doing lots of different activities and getting involved in things I wouldn’t usually do.

“It’s very sad to see it go. There hasn’t been any interest from anyone else wanting to take it over because there is a lot of organisation.”

Bethany Holland, 15, from Bridport has been a member since she was seven and is saddened by its demise.

She said: “It’s been really good fun and we’ve been on loads of trips and done and experienced things we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.”

House Club got no direct funding and was run by volunteers; members only paid a one-off membership fee of 50p and then £1 for each session.

Dorothy Drayton, aged 17, has been a member since she was eight.

She said: “There’s always something different and exciting things you haven’t done before.

“It’ quite sad that it’s ending because it was just a great place to go and make friends.

“There’s a lot of pressure on Lin and Pete who run it and obviously their time has ended to run it, but it’s just so sad it’s going to end.”