ROSS-on-Wye’s youth club is at risk of closure again, this time due to lack of volunteers.

The Basement Youth Trust’s executive committee, which manages the youth club at the Venue in town has put out an emergency appeal for more volunteers to come forward.

The club, which is held three nights a week, was forced to close due to anti-social behaviour in October last year. But now, due to past difficulties with recruiting and retaining committee members and changes in the personal circumstances of several members of the current committee, the club is at risk of closure if new volunteers cannot be found by the end of this month.

Steve Richards, a spokesman for the Basement Youth Trust said: “We urgently need people to step up and help out, or this situation could be the end of the club.

“As it is a registered charity, which funds the facility and in order for the youth club to continue to operate within the guideline, the executive committee of the charity needs to be staffed by volunteers, who act as trustees or non-executive committee members fulfilling certain roles.

“As a minimum the committee needs trustees in the roles of chairman, treasurer and secretary.

“But other key roles are needed, including fundraising, co-ordination of the youth workers, safeguarding lead, recruitment and social media management.” If you are interested in joining the committee to help this essential facility to survive please contact Anne Richards, the current chairman, by email at aricard.pt.lu.

In a statement, the club previously said when it was forced to close due to anti-social behaviour that it operated a code of conduct to ensure respectful behaviour inside the youth club and those who breach this code would be subjected to temporary bans and, if behaviour continues, it could eventually to a permanent ban.”