Local MP Sarah Dines has joined forces with the Ashbourne Ex-Servicemen’s Club to do their best to save the club.
Sarah Dines MP said: ‘Ashbourne’s Ex-Servicemen’s club is absolutely at the heart of the community in Ashbourne and they need our help. The club has been in Ashbourne for over 100 years and provides a vital place for fun, community and support. Behind the scenes the team at the club also provide valuable support to patrons, whether that is helping them filling out forms, or just being a friendly ear, they are a truly valuable asset to the community. It is an incredibly difficult time for all businesses at the moment, but especially for the hospitality industry and perhaps even more so for private members clubs like this. They have received help from the Government, but they now need to call on the community to come together and help them if they can.
I declare an interest in that I joined as a member this past summer and have had the opportunity and privilege of seeing the work they do for the community, including many acts of selfless support and kindness to many individuals, which are never broadcast. The work they do is truly remarkable and must be preserved.
The club have set up a ‘Just Giving’ page which can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ashbourneex-servicemens-club.
I know times are tough for so many, but if you can support them, please do so. In the meantime I am doing all I can to ensure that all business grants are paid as promptly as possible by the District Council, as these grants make the genuine difference between businesses surviving this pandemic or not.’
Club Chairman, Cllr Stuart Lees said, ‘I myself have been a member or the club for around 40 years and when I retired from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue service as a retained fire fighter, I joined the committee and was voted in as chairman, for which I have been for over 6 years. During this time we have made considerable improvements to make the Ashbourne Ex-servicemen’s Club into what it is now. None of this would have been possible without the support of fellow committee members and the dedicated staff, plus many people who have given up their time to help with various tasks such as barbecues and building and maintenance work. Before the pandemic it was the home of Ashbourne Rugby Club, along with many other groups who used the club for meetings. We also had darts, dominoes and other teams which one day we hope will be able to play again. I would like to pass on my thanks to all who have already given to the just giving page and written how much the club means to them, which makes this task of keeping the Ashbourne ex-service men’s club open even more worthwhile.’
