A STRUGGLING community social club is calling on residents to use it or lose it after funding became so tight committee members had to start working behind the bar and cleaning.

Parkeston Railway Club is being completely run by volunteers and has had to close on Monday and Tuesday nights to save cash.

Trevor Dowling, a member of the railway club, said: "Everybody seems to be struggling at the moment with the downturn in the economy and the railway club has also been struggling.

"People don't have the money to go out as much.

"We have had to look as a committee at what we can do to keep the club alive and open as a community hub.

"The committee is working at the club, we run the bar and do all the cleaning.

"We used to have paid staff, they worked really well and really hard but there isn't the footfall there to justify the wage.

"It was costing us more than we were bringing in."

The club is still open five days a week but is calling on more people to support it by attending events there or hiring the hall out.

Trevor added: "The rumour has started that we are closed but we want people to know we are open.

"It's a lovely place and it's lovely to have something like that here.

"For the last couple of weeks we have run at a profit just in keeping in the black but it's very tight.

"But it's use it or lose it."

The social club was once a thriving hub for residents and port workers as well as though employed on the railway.

It was also a popular stop for windfarm workers.

But Trevor said not as many people work there now and a lack of patrons is affecting the club.

To hire to railway club function room call 01255 506227.