The Huntly and District Ex-Serviceman's Club has closed after almost 100 years of serving the community
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A HUNTLY institution has officially closed its doors for the final time.
The Huntly and District Ex-Serviceman's Club has been a part of the community for generations, however financial difficulties forced the committee to make the difficult decision to close yesterday (Monday, April 3).
Committee member Sheena Arthur (81) who has been part of the ex-serviceman's club for more than 20 years, said: "It was a very, very sad and emotional day for us all yesterday, but with the economic climate today we have been left with no choice but to close the club.
"Our utilities services are way up; the gas, the electric and the rates are sky high and there's no trade nowadays. People haven't been coming out the same for quite some time and I'm afraid no business can exist without getting custom.
"It is really unfortunate but it's happening everywhere at the moment and a lot of local businesses are struggling."
The Huntly and District Ex-Serviceman's Club has been an important gathering place in Huntly for nearly 100 years.
The club originally opened in the 1930's, as a place for veterans to meet for a cup of tea and a chat and remained an important part of the community since. The club later become a licensed premises and has hosted a variety of community events, with everything from Bingo to live music events on offer.
Over the last few years, the committee have also tried to expand the club's services and have worked tirelessly to keep it running.
Sheena said: "We have tried absolutely everything to keep the place open. We've set up funeral teas, Christmas parties, private parties and done weddings. At this point there is nothing more we can do, it is really sad and I'm finding it difficult to deal with to be honest, we've all been there a long time and have tried our hardest to support it.
"I can't say thank you enough to the members of the community who have been with us though, the Sunday bingo players have stood by us thick and thin and we have all tried our best, it's just a very sad situation."
