WATCHET this week lost a popular voluntary organisation which has served the town for 34 years.
And another major Watchet charity which has donated nearly £170,000 to good causes, might not reopen after it closes for the winter at the end of the month.
Both Watchet Tourist Office and the Harbour Community Bookshop have been given notice to quit their marina-side building on The Esplanade by February next year by landlords West Somerset Council, which plans to refurbish the property and let it at a commercial rent.
And on Monday, after closing its doors at the end of the summer season, the volunteer-run Tourist Office wound up its operation at its last annual general meeting.
In future, visitor inquiries will be handled by paid staff at the new Boat Museum tourist office in Harbour Road.
Saying goodbye to the 20 volunteers, some of whom had worked in the tourist office since it opened in 1983, chairman and manager Alex Reynard told them: “This is a very sad day for everyone who loves Watchet.”
He added: “We dealt with over 13,000 inquiries this summer and our volunteers’ wealth of experience and knowledge of the area provided a valuable and unique service which will be badly missed.”
Jeff Bird, chairman of the Community Bookshop, said this week that no suitable alternative premises had yet been found and they had approached the council asking about the possibility of staying in the building on terms which would be more beneficial to the authority.
“Realistically, we couldn’t pay a commercial rent, but we would be prepared to pay more than we do at present. We are still awaiting a reply and at the moment, everything about our future is uncertain.” he said.
“We appreciate the council’s reasons for not renewing our licence and we are very grateful to them for letting the building to us on very beneficial terms over the past nine years.”
Full story in the Free Press (Oct 13)