This past Sunday, the oldest snooker club in Morecambe, in the UK, closed its doors. The club had been open for over seventy years. The club had been in business since the 1930s and was run by the same family all those years. Liz Youren, the owner of the club is selling it and hopes it will be revived to its original history in music.

The new owners lease the lower level of the building. It is called The Hothouse and is a community music place. Youren says the club was originally a music hall and it would be great to see it back in its original form. "It's had its day as a snooker hall," said Liz, whose father Syd Youren – a professional snooker player – managed the club for decades before his death in 2000. "It's very difficult running a business in the West End. I've had to spend a lot of money replacing windows over the years due to vandalism. The smoking ban drove away most of my regulars and new Government legislation on licensing cost us a lot. This place used to be packed on a Friday night but now lads go into town for a pint. So it was time for a clean break. Pete Moser (of More Music) is such a talented guy and what he and More Music have done is fantastic. I wish them the best of luck."

The soon to be owners run the More Music business in Morecambe. They believe merging The Hothouse and having more space to bring music to the community will be a great asset. Kathryn MacDonald, of More Music, said: "We're very excited about buying the building. We've expanded so much that we need more space. We intend to refurbish and then use the space to continue to make quality music in Morecambe. We eventually hope to become a national centre for music training and this will contribute to the regeneration in the West End."

The More Music company provides several services. They help put on shows involving children and adults. They host Christmas shows that display all the young talent they are helping evolve. They also have projects going on that are for the 2004 Mercambe Bay Tragedy. The group is focused on music education and providing music to the community of Mercambe and surrounding areas.

- 2007-11-29