A CHARITABLE organisation in Darwen has admitted it’s in ‘limbo’ after losing its stall on the three-day market.

The Darwen Lions Club had a used-book stall for two years within the market but this has now gone because there is not enough room in the five-day market for it to move in.

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The three-day market building has been earmarked for demolition and all stallholders were invited to move into the five-day building to continue their trade.

Due to the Lions being a voluntary organisation, all renting stallholders have been prioritised over it and so the book stall, the organisation’s main source of income, has now disappeared.

Dorothy Bagnall, president of the organisation, said the club was now going through a very uncertain period. She said: “It is extremely sad as this stall has been our main source of income in Darwen for the past two years.

“It was our space, it allowed us to connect with the community and fulfill our motto of ‘we serve’.

“They were really decent books that we got and we will now have to donate them to charity.

“We are now in limbo a bit because we don’t know where our presence is going to be in Darwen now. We would have loved to go in the five-day market but there just isn’t enough space.

“But I guess change has to happen, I just hope now that volunteers will come and help us with new ideas, we need them now more than ever.”

Darwen Lions has supported the community for nearly 40 years and has involved itself in a wide variety of projects and events including the Darwen Gala.

The stall moved out of the three-day market yesterday and the group is now looking for anyone who wants to purchase any remaining books.

Along with the stall, the Lions will also be losing the tombola stand which was often run in between the two market buildings.

All stallholders from the three-day market will have moved into the adjoining five-day building by the end of October.

The three-day market was branded as ‘fundamentally obsolete’ in February by Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive member for regeneration Cllr Phil Riley.

If people are interested in buying remaining books contact 0845 8339832.

The group meets at The Anchor in Blackburn Road on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 7pm.