Trowbridge Rotary Club has closed down after 60 years of operation due to dwindling membership numbers.

The club was founded in 1952 and over the years has supported numerous charities and organisations in the town.

Among the many projects undertaken by the club’s Rotarians over the years has been the building of the Park Club in 1965, the foundation of the Town Trust, and the formation of Tapes for the Blind, now renamed The Talking News, a service which continues to be distributed to around 100 people each week.

Sue Holt, from the disbanded club, said: “It was a very difficult and painful decision to close the Club, but, in recent years, it has been an uphill struggle to try to get more members and we have found that a combination of dwindling numbers, health concerns for a number of our Rotarians, and the fact that none of us are getting any younger, means it is no longer viable to continue.

“It is particularly poignant that in March of this year, Trowbridge Rotary Club celebrated its Diamond Jubilee and now, just three months later, we are mourning its demise.

“We also wish to reassure those people who use our Talking News service that this will continue and they will still be able to listen to the recordings of the news from the Wiltshire Times.”

The club has provided practical help and financial support to groups such as the Park Club, Visually Impaired Club, Physically Handicapped Club and the Trowbridge Guild of Community Service.

It was also responsible for the Meals on Wheels service for elderly and housebound people for several years.

The Trowbridge area will now be represented by the Rotary Club of Wessex Mead.

For more information, visit www.wessexmead rotary. org.uk.