A village youth club which provides a “haven” for up to 100 children has closed its doors over an ongoing row with a playgroup.
Rainbows Playgroup in Gosberton faced an uncertain start to the new year when it was locked out of the hall it shared with the youth club.
Tension boiled over between Rainbows and one of the trustees of the youth club after playgroup leaders refused to sign a new contract until it had assurances minor repair works would be carried out to the hall.
Other trustees, including two village vicars Steve Weatherly-Barton and the Rev Ian Walters, stepped in to help resolve the problem as the playgroup were forced into a temporary home.
But under Ofsted regulations the playgroup was only allowed to operate from there for a couple of weeks and fears grew it could have to close unless an answer was found.
But, at the 11th hour, the locks were changed again on the hall and the playgroup allowed back in – but since then the youth club has closed its doors, seemingly in protest, despite playgroup owner Jane Houghton expressing a desire to work with them for the good of the village.
Mr Weatherly-Barton said: “It is a most unfortunate situation and if you ask me why the youth club has closed my honest answer is I don’t know.
“It’s really sad because the youth club has about 100 children on its books and there are regularly 50 or 60 children at each session. For many it is a haven.
“But there has been a breakdown in the relationship between the two groups and we are now working on it, hoping to set up a meeting with representatives of both groups and expert mediators to try to find a solution.
“We are really hoping that it is going to be sorted out soon because the current situation is not good for the young people and there is a lot of tension in the village.”