A FIRE which swept through Padiham community centre robbed the town’s youth club of its headquarters.

Young people had to wait two years before they got their own club again, in 1967.

For the burned out building was converted for the county youth services department and a new club was created — designed to appeal to the teenagers of the sixties.

The four-storey building in Burnley Road, contained facilities for most indoor recreations, as well as a coffee shop and canteen.

The youth planners were hoping the club, which was open five days a week, would become a focal point for youth interests.

Young people on shift work were encouraged to drop in for a snack and a game of snooker at the start or end of their working days.