Johnstone’s United Social Club, for ex-soldiers, has been forced to shut its doors after a 10-year battle for survival.

It has been one of the longest serving institutions in the town and has offered years of support to local war heroes and their families.

Long-time members of the club, which has been open for almost a century, have been left reeling over its closure.

Club secretary, Mark Cadle, broke the news to its 186 members last week – many of whom have retired from the forces and had attended the club four days a week.

Moira Morrow, 72 — who has been a member alongside her husband George, 73, for more than 50 years — described the news as “a massive blow” to the community.

The pensioner, who lives in Tannahill Crescent, also demanded to know why councillors haven’t done more to save the group.

She said: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking. As soon as I got told – one week before it shut – I was breaking my heart crying.

“The United Services Club was the only place the wives and partners of ex-soldiers could go in Johnstone and feel safe.

“It wasn’t just a pub, it was a club and it was family. Where are we going to go now?

“My husband is absolutely devastated. He went every Saturday afternoon and now he has nowhere to go and socialise.

“This is years of friendships getting lost. Surely the council could help us find a smaller premises for the club?” Threats to close the once thriving services club, based in MacDowall Street, have been ongoing for a number of years.

Mark Cadle, club secretary, said members were forced to admit defeat and apply for voluntary liquidation before matters got worse.

“This way we could close the business and walk away owing no one,” he told The Gazette.

“The club initially felt the bite financially around 2005 and by 2008 it was proposed to be closed however, a number of members decided to take the reins and began the process of running it like a business.

“At that point we immediately recognised that the size of the building weighed against the income being generated by the membership was insufficient to maintain continuing the club trading from the existing premises.” Membership numbers began to dwindle as the club struggled to keep up funding for regular meetings.

Club president Mr Cadle told how members did all they could to save the club, launching a five-year business plan to sell its premises and move to a smaller building.

“We tried to trade ourselves through the financial downturn but had to finally admit defeat,” he said.

“The members agreed that this would be the best course of action and we closed the doors for the final time on Sunday, June 15 after 94 yrs of trading, this was a sad time for the members, many of whom had been members of 60 years and over and didn’t go anywhere else.

“The club would like to thank the staff members for their years of dedicated service and to members George and Moira Morrow who supported us fully through the years.” Jim McCallum, 64, who worked as a caretaker for the club for 23 years, said he is angry and said Renfrewshire Council refused to descrease membership fees to help keep the institution afloat.

He added: “We asked them to help us by putting the rates down.

“I don’t feel we got the support we should have, I don’t think they realise the impact this is going to have on people.

“I’ve been a member for 43 years and worked there for 23 years – now I’ve lost my job and the place I socialised in.

“What is most saddening is that one of our members, who is 83, walked there every week from Elderslie and now he is going to be houseboand.

“It’s an absolute disgrace.” A Renfrewshire Council spokesman said the local authority remains committed to providing practical help for local veterans.

“We have signed a Community Covenant designed to build good relations between the armed forces, the council and its partners,” he said.

But he added that the club is a business.

“While we are very sympathetic to the plight of the Johnstone United Services Social Club, it is a private, commercial operation which relies on alcohol and cigarette sales for the bulk of its income,” he said.

“However, some three to four years ago we held talks with the management about the club buying or leasing the former Spateston Library but this hinged on the sale of the existing premises. The club’s management didn’t take this option forward. We also investigated the possibility of the Johnstone United Services Social Club receiving business rates relief but it didn’t qualify for the scheme. More recently we initiated contact with Business Gateway with a view to helping the club develop a new, revitalised business plan. We also held discussions with the management about the possibility of the club using one of the premises vacated by council services moving into the new Town Hall.

“We have made efforts to help this local venue over the years but currently 28 pubs close every week across Britain. The Johnstone United Services Social Club, just like many other commercial operations, has had to face difficult operating conditions over a long period.”