BLACKBURN golf club's women members have been given full voting rights for the first time.

At an Extraordinary General Meeting at the end of last year, it was decided the club's women would in future be allowed to vote on issues affecting the club.

Secretary Keith Taylor said: "We are a members club and the members own the club. They decide on issues such as development of land or change of rules and so on.

"The Ladies were only playing members before but to comply with the Equal Opportunities Directive it was decided at an EGM that they should be allowed full voting rights."

Taylor said the club had many vacancies for new members: men, women and juniors. And the club has now abolished its membership fee in a bid to attract more golfers.

"We have around 40 vacancies and this is a problem at a lot of local clubs have at the moment.

"People just cannot afford to do everything. We lose members when they have kids and we lose the 18 to 23-year-olds when they go off to university or discover girls and drinking!

"We have always had a turnover of around 25 members a year and usually this gradually builds up over the summer.

"This year, we are hoping to attract those new members earlier by abolishing the joining fee which will save a member £500."

Blackburn's membership fee is £525 per year and new members are asked to apply to the secretary for membership.