Stroud's Subscription Rooms set for temporary closure

Staff at Stroud's Subscription Rooms have been offered voluntary redundancy

A venue which hosted The Beatles in the 1960s faces a temporary shutdown as financial savings "need to be found".

Staff have been offered voluntary redundancy by the trust which runs Stroud's Subscription Rooms.

It is expected to close its doors within the next few months, although no date has been announced.

The building was sold to Stroud Town Council for £1 by the district council last year and leased to the Stroud Subscription Rooms Trust (SSRT).

The district and town councils gave the trust £290,000 in grant funding but what is left of the money is not sufficient to continue trading, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Historic venue'

A business plan was created for the trust to become financially self-supporting within five years, but improvements to the building, rising wage costs and low returns from bookings have seen planned changes delayed.

A report presented to town councillors last week said savings "needed to be found".

The town council and SSRT issued a joint statement saying they were working with promoters and performers to either postpone or relocate events which were booked during the closure period.

They also said the trust was "dedicated to ensuring that this historic venue thrives" and asked for continued public support

The 186-year-old venue has hosted a number of famous bands through the years, including The Beatles in 1962.