Sea anglers win fight to save clubhouse

A campaign to stop a local council demolishing a club house that was central to the plans of an angling club looks set to end in victory.

Officials at Weymouth AC were told that blueprints had been drawn up to knock down the harbour-side building to make room for a new car park.

Plans were created to host a meeting between councillors and members of the 113-year-old outfit so that both sides of the argument could be put forward, with a petition also being circulated to gain support for the crusade.

By the end of the exchange, councillors voted that the base should remain and the club should be given a new 10-year lease to secure their future.

Although a final decision won’t be made until next month, there was plenty of reason for optimism and club chairman Billy Short said: “Members helped build this club house with their own hands back in 1974 and we have since invested in new disabled access and many other modernisations.”

“We are very grateful to anglers from all over the world, and to the Angling Trust, for supporting us at this time.”