IA RESCUE package has been put together to complete a £1 million club which is standing empty.

Trustees of the Tonge Ward Labour Club, Ainsworth Lane, are now confident that it will be open by the summer.

More than 200 angry club members packed a meeting in November demanding to know what was going on.

The building had been completed, but it was an empty shell with no fittings inside.

But today one of the trustees, Bolton Cllr Frank White, confirmed that there had been talks with bank and brewery officials.

He said: "We do now have sufficient funds to complete the project.

"There have been meetings with the contractor and we are hoping that it will be finished as soon as possible.

"We are as disappointed as anyone that it has taken so long to complete.

"But both the bank and the brewery's surveyors have confirmed that we have a building of the highest specification and quality, it now just needs to be fitted out."

Members were told about the rescue when a notice was put on the wall of the club.

But one member said: "We still don't feel that we know everything that is going on. We would like a meeting of all the members so that we can ask questions."

The new club is being built on a car park next to the present building and the old one will be knocked down once the new one is completed.

Planning permission was given two years ago and it should have been completed early last year.

But when deputy Prime Minister John Prescott visited 12 months ago, it was only to lay a foundation stone.

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