A long-established club for gardeners and growers is being uprooted from its Thornton home of more than half a century
Thornton Cleveleys Horticultural Society has until May to close its hut after Wyre Council served the group notice to leave. The council needs to use the site when work begins on the new £1.5m waste depot with recycling facility at Copse Road, Fleetwood.
Amateur dramatic society, The Windmill Players, has also been forced to leave the site.
Horticultural Society chairman, John Horrocks, said the group, which has used the site on Fleetwood Road South to sell gardening goods since the 1950s, is now desperately trying to sell off stock before the move.
He said: “We will do our best to get rid of as much as possible, we don’t want anything to go to waste as it would cost us quite a bit to dispose of. It is costing us money to do the move, small things like cutting the electric and hiring skips to remove equipment all add up.
“We are just going to sell up, there is nowhere else to go, we have managed to find a buyer for our small garage but we still have a double garage for sale.”
The society, which held its 70th annual flower show last year, will continue with its lectures, exhibitions and coach trips.
Mr Horrocks said: “It is the trade store we will lose. At one time it was thriving but more recently we have not had the same amount of sales we would have had 10 years ago. But this is very short notice to be given to leave.
“It is sad to leave because of the amount of time we have spent here, we have fond memories.”
A Wyre spokesman confirmed: “Thornton Horticultural Society and The Windmill Players have been given notice to leave the site at Thornton. “The council needs to use the site when work begins on the new depot at Copse Road and will do so until the development is complete.”
Stocks of composts, plant pots, fertilisers, bamboo canes, plastic bins/water butts and other gardening related products are going to be sold off at half price.
The hut will be open each Sunday between 10 and noon from Sunday January 22 with a view to open between 10am and noon on Saturday’s as well.
Contact Mr Horrocks on (01253) 825156.
