Vandals wreck club for elderly

Members of Prestwich Pensioners' Club in Church Lane turned up for one of their regular dancing sessions to be faced with mopping up after rain had seeped through large holes in the roof.

Although the roof has suffered minor leaks in the past, due to the age of the wooden hut, they believe the latest "downpour" was caused by vandals who deliberately smashed the flat roof.

Former chairman of the 30-strong club, Mr Kenneth Calvert (79) said: "The roof used to leak but we had it repaired. We have had vandalism before, but not on this scale. "A traffic cone was found discarded on the roof and we think they might have used that to force holes through the ceiling."

A police spokesman confirmed that someone appeared to have climbed onto the roof of the building to cause the damage.

Two large holes allowed water to gush all over the wooden floor, saturate the carpet on the stage and destroy the hi-fi which provides the music for twice-weekly sequence dancing sessions.

There were also eight or nine further puncture marks on the roof which had not gone right through.

Despite more than £1,000 worth of damage, the members are determined not to let the attack, which comes less than two weeks after an arson attack on Heaton Park Over 60s Club. threaten the club's future.

"It's sickening but it would be a pity if we allowed this to prevent us from continuing," said Mr Calvert.

He added that everyone rallied to help out, even members aged in their nineties armed themselves with mops and buckets, and he thanked the landlord of the nearby Church Inn.

Mr Calvert said: "The landlord next door arranged for temporary plastic covering on the roof in case it rained again before we could get it fixed.

"He also offered the use of his function room if we needed somewhere dry to meet. He has been very generous.

"We are not a rich club," he added, "we will make do and mend but it is very disheartening to see this happen."