OVER half a decade since it was first put up, the iconic Nailsworth Boys’ Club sign has been taken down.

The removal of the blue and white board marks the opening of a new chapter for the chapel-like building in Bath Road which had previously displayed it.

Constructed in 1852 using funds from the townspeople, the building will cease to be known officially as the Nailsworth Boys Club.

Reverting back to its original name, it will instead now be called the Nailsworth Subscription Rooms.

Since the closure of the Boys Club in 2000, the building has been owned and managed by the charity Nailsworth Youth Community Enterprise (NYCE). With the help of grants, NYCE has carried out various refurbishment works on the building and it is now used for table tennis, badminton and youth drama.

The lower ground floor of the newly renamed Subscription Rooms is currently occupied by Practical Intelligence, a non-profit making organisation which runs craft workshops for the community.

Over the years the building has also served as a public library and cinema.

John Rowley, of NYCE, said: "In the future the building will be Nailsworth Subscription Rooms, although I am sure for many old boys it will still be remembered as the boys club."

To mark the building’s 160th anniversary, as well as the Queen’s diamond jubilee, the NYCE is staging Nailsworth Celebrates – a film show and exhibition.

The event will take place on Saturday, June 2, with showing times for the film at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm.

Tickets, which are available from Shiny Goodness in Nailsworth, cost £2 and include tea and cake, while under-12s can attend free.

For more information visit: www.nailsworthsubrooms.org.uk.