A PLEA for as many of its hundreds of members as possible to help bolster its committee has been issued by the president of Upton Social Club.

An extraordinary general meeting has been prompted by the resignation of the club's secretary and chairman, and replacements are needed to keep it going.

President Katherine Buxton, who has been chairing the club's monthly meetings, said that although having a chairman is not essential for the club to stay open, having a secretary is. Although a temporary replacement has been found, a longer-term appointment needs to be made.

She appealed for as many of the club's 450 members as possible, some of whom live as far away as Birmingham, to come to the meeting at the club at 8pm on Wednesday, November 20.

"The club's a valuable resource for the community," she said. "We would not want to see it close. It's been running a long time."

The club contains snooker and pool tables and runs a pool league that has attracted teams from every pub in Upton. It also has facilities for events and meetings and stages discos and live music.

More committee members will also enable it to look at developing a patch of land at the rear of its Old Street premises.

Ideas for development of the land, such as a swimming pool, were put forward last year but have had to be put on hold because of the situation with the committee.