By Steph Johnson

Last updated 12:39, Friday, 14 November 2008

A Carlisle Catholic social club is closing after becoming a drain on church funds.

Takings down: St Augustine’s Club was not generating enough income to survive

Members of St Augustine’s Pastoral Parish Council (PPC) have been worried about the decline of the club’s finances for some time.

Takings are down and the church has been propping up the business.

The PPC hoped the club could keep running until a church extension is built – a new meeting room and larger social room will replace the community facilities at Briar Bank club.

With that in mind, the PPC paid £15,000 towards the cost of fire safety measures and agreed to wave the £10,000 rent this year.

But the club accounts for 2007/08 and the subsequent quarterly financial reports made grim reading.

Parish priest Geoffrey Steel said: “Far from the club generating income for the parish, in effect the parish is subsidising the social club.

“The PPC could not allow this to continue.”

Over the last few weeks the PPC has been debating the future of the club.

The Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocese finance committee has also been involved in the discussions.

The PPC concluded closure was the only realistic option.

However the parish will have to pick up the costs of winding up the business, which Father Steele warns will be “substantial”.

From January 1 the club will be run as a parish centre until the diocese allows St Augustine’s to build its extension.

Rooms in the club will be rented out for functions in order to bring in some extra money.

Father Steel appreciated the closure will come as a blow for parts of the community.

He added: “Without doubt, members of the club, including some parishioners, will lament its closure.

“But, in the circumstances, the PPC has taken the decision it believes to be in the best interests of the parishioners.”