DISASTER FOR ROCK'N'ROLL CLUB AFTER COMMUNITY CENTRE LOSES LICENCE

Folkestone Rock'n'Roll club claims to have lost thousands of pounds following the failure of the Hawkinge Community Centre to renew it's entertainment licence.

Just three days before they were due to hold one of their regular events in the Centre, club organiser Pete Bradley claimed he was told by Centre Trustee Ian Reynolds that they would not now be able to use the hall as the entertainment licence had not been renewed.

Mr Bradley said: "It's disastrous, the club is now thousands of pounds out of pocket.

"We are hoping to come back, possibly in the new year but we do not know when that will be.

"The Rock'n'Roll club have built a stage in the centre and installed sound baffles, they even supplied a PA system for the Hawkinge Fun Day. We received a nice letter thanking us for the PA from the Hawkinge Partnership" said Pete.

"We were to have held a New Year dance but after agreeing a price of £680 earlier in the year, we were later told by the Community Centre the price would be over £1400" claimed Mr Bradley.

" We have to pay for bands in advance and if we cannot get a venue,  the money is lost.

"We managed to hire the Hawkinge Village Hall for one event, and received no complaints of noise.

The Club has arranged to hold two more of the events at Capel Village Hall on 19 November and 10 December.

"The whole b****y thing stinks" said Pete.

Hawkinge Community Centre Chairman of the Trustees John Heasman confirmed they no longer held an entertainment licence for the premises, but he said that the manager was re-applying and he hoped they would be able to hold events before Christmas.

Mr Heasman confirmed the Centre had the money to do any remedial work necessary to ensure Shepway Council's rules regarding noise from the hall could be addressed.

 He is hoping the annual village carol concert will still be able to go ahead.

When asked about the claim by Pete Bradley that a booking the Rock'nRoll club made for a New Years Eve event had increased from £680 to over £1400, he said he was unaware of the matter but he would be looking into it.