Whitburn’s Royal British Legion club to close

Oct 13 2011 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

WHITBURN has been dealt another blow with the news that the Royal British Legion is set to close.

The club, on the town’s Armadale Road, will shut their doors for the final time this month due to declining membership and lack of funds.

The Whitburn branch of the Legion will also be disbanded with members offered the chance to join other branches in West Lothian.

The town has been plagued with a number of problems in recent months with devastating fires at the Miners’ Welfare and the swimming pool.

And Councillor George Paul, who described the club as an institution, was upset to see the town lose another landmark.

He said: “It is a sin that an institution like this is closing down because of financial reasons.

“It has done a great service to the Whitburn community and surrounding areas for countless numbers of ex-service people.

“It has been in the town for a long time and it will be sadly missed when it does go.

“It is a sign of the times and because of the recession there is no money about. It is hard for the smaller clubs to keep going.”

Neil Griffiths, a spokesman for the Royal British Legion in Scotland, added: “It is a great sadness that in our 90th year the Whitburn Club has had to close.

“This has been brought about through declining membership which is something that is happening all over the country.

“As the national service generation pass on we are left with fewer members each year. It is a demographic time bomb which we have to watch very carefully.

“A sad fallout from this is that a number of smaller clubs such as Whitburn have had to close as they don’t have the money to keep paying the bills.

“I hope that the members will be able to join a nearby club.

“The only way out of this is if we permit non ex-service people to join but then we would have difficulty explaining ourselves as a charity.

“It is a difficult position for us but we hae to look to the future and come to a decision.

“Having said that, it was with great sadness that we heard the news about Whitburn closing as they are a terrific branch and the closing of any of our premises or branches is a serious matter.

“However, there will always be a role for the Legion.”

Whitburn residents are asked to note that this year’s Remembrance Day muster parade will now meet in Whitburn Masonic Hall on East Main Street instead of the Legion.

Contact Councillor George Paul for details on 01501 741737 or 01506 281739.