VILLAGERS are fighting Ministry of Defence plans to close a servicemen's club, which they say will mean the end of their youth club.

The residents of Lower Compton, near Calne, have formed an action committee to stop the closure of the Bassett Club, which was built for service personnel quartered in the village.

The military presence in the village has declined, membership has dwindled, and as a result the committee of servicemen in charge will be forced to close the club at the end of August.

Villagers say its closure will be a massive blow to Lower Compton's youth club, which is run by Wendy Sheen and Pauline Garrett. The club attracts 50 to 60 young people, aged from seven to 16, to its meetings on Tuesdays, from as far afield as Compton Bassett, Cherhill, Yatesbury, Calstone, Calne and Quemerford.

Julie Mann, of Spreckley Road, in Lower Compton, said: "My son goes to the club. It's going to be devastating for the village if it stops. They do an awful lot for the children and we need to keep it as a community centre for all the other people who live here.

"There would be nothing for us at all if the club goes, only the village hall in Compton Bassett and they organise their own things there already. There's going to be a lot of children and teenagers with nothing to do and that's when you get trouble."

Action committee member Mrs Garrett, of Spreckley Road, Lower Compton, said: "The club's been run quite successful over the last eight to ten years and its been one of the biggest parts of the local community. Now the servicemen's houses are being sold off the MoD has no reason to keep the club going, but it can't just build up a community and then drop it."

The Defence Housing Executive has targeted MoD properties in Lower Compton for disposal as part of the military's ongoing policy to move servicemen closer to their units. The village was originally intended to house the overspill of families from RAF Lyneham, but as houses nearer the base become available, servicemen and their families have been moved out and civilians have moved in.

With few facilities in the village, residents have relied on the club to provide somewhere to hold events.

Through the officer in charge of the club, Flt Lt Paul Mayo, the action committee has written to the MoD to inquire about buying or leasing the club. They are also looking into the possibility of council grants and National Lottery funding to buy the club.

Mrs Garret said: "At the moment we are waiting for some response from the MoD, whether it is prepared to look at selling the club to us or if it is going to sell it to the highest bidder, which will mean we will have a battle on our hands.

"The MoD has asked us to build a community and as soon as it doesn't suit it, it is pulling out and closing the one central point which makes us a community."

Almost all the village's social events take place at the club, including wedding receptions, coffee mornings, live bands, retirement parties and discos. There is a bar, which has a big television screen where residents can go to watch football.

The club has a small stage, tennis courts, which are also used for five-a-side football matches, an acre of outside grounds, a kitchen and a hall.

Lower Compton's jubilee celebrations centred on the club, which was decked out in red, white and blue, and attracted 70 residents.

Barry Miller, a councillor for Calne Without Parish Council, said: "Lower Compton is a village in its own right but it has no shops, clubs or pubs for people to meet socially. We would like to purchase the site through various grants so the people of Lower Compton can use it as a village hall."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "The residents have approached the MoD for direction and as soon as there is a reply from the relevant source the decision will be passed back to the residents."