THE WRVS in Bolton sees the end of an era next month when the organisation closes its headquarters in the town. Financial pressures and the need to make the service more efficient are being blamed on the closure of the offices in St George's Road. One part-time paid member of staff is being made redundant but has agreed to carry on working as a volunteer and six other volunteers who work in the building have accepted roles in other WRVS projects.

Administrative work currently carried out at the building will be centralised at the main area offices in Manchester but it will be the first time in its history that the WRVS will not have a headquarters in the town.

The WVS, later to have Royal added to the title, was formed nationally in 1938 when the Dowager Marchioness of Reading was asked by the Home Secretary to form an organisation of women to help local authorities develop air raid precaution services.

During the war their role expanded and in Bolton the service took over the Watermillock on Crompton Way as a headquarters and rest centre.

They later moved into offices in Oxford Street and finally moved into their current larger premises at St George's Road in 1980.

Meetings

These days the organisation in Bolton has more than 500 members, and carries out valued tasks ranging from running luncheon clubs, delivering meals on wheels and running a contact centre to provide split families with a neutral meeting point to offering refreshments to patients and visitors in hospital or at the magistrates' court.

Despite the loss of the local headquarters all these services will remain in the town and new venues will be found for meetings previously held at the St George's Road offices.

The building, which was refurbished several months ago to bring it up to health and safety standards, will now be put up for sale.

"Sadly, our Bolton office is to close at the end of March due to high running costs," said Greater Manchester area manager Chris Ackerley.

"It is now too large for our purposes and it would not be cost effective for us to keep it open."

Details about the closure will be given to volunteers in a WRVS newsletter next week and a series of meetings is being considered to explain the decision.

"I would like to thank all our members in Bolton for their understanding during this time of change," said Mrs Ackerley.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.