GSK delays the inevitable with Sports & Social Club

Attempts to stop the imminent closure of GSK Sports & Social Club in Barnard Castle have suffered a huge setback.

When it was announced in September that the company would be closing the 80-year-old club by the end of the year, the committee sent an appeal to GSK representatives outlining their concerns about the closure and appealed for the decision to be reversed.

The company finally responded to that communication earlier this week by repeating its intention to close the club.

The only concession it was prepared to make was to push the closure date back until the end of February next year.

A spokesman for the sports and social club committee said: “The committee were very upset and disappointed by the GSK response to their proposals and are currently working on how to go forward.”

Seeking to discover the justification for rejecting the committee’s appeal, the Mercury contacted GSK’s media team but, apart from confirming the new closure date, they declined to comment further.

When the decision was initially taken, a GSK spokesman explained why the club was closing, saying: “…we need to make sure we’re making the best use of our land and facilities to support current and future operations.

“As part of this, following a review of arrangements and discussion with local stakeholders, we are bringing the sports and social club building and surrounding land into direct company use.”

The decision has caused widespread dismay in Teesdale, with more than 1,000 people signing a petition to save the club and many of its sections struggling to find new homes.

The hugely popular gym, for example, has more than 500 members and owns all the equipment located in the building it occupies on the site of the club.

If a suitable new home in the town proves impossible to find, the gym could well be forced to close permanently.

Town and county councillor Chris Foote-Wood has been fighting to save Glaxo Club.

On hearing the latest news, he said: “My view is it seems the company has made up its mind to evict the club regardless of the consequences.

“If that is the case then it’s very much to be regretted because, if the club closes, the many activities that currently take place there will be scattered to the four winds.

“Once people have gone elsewhere, it will be very, very difficult to bring them all back together.”