More than 30 members who went to the Peel Street Centre every Friday for lunch and a chat were told last Friday that they have to be out of the room by Friday, August 29.

It will have come as a blow to many of the members who are house-bound and for whom the luncheon club is a weekly treat.

The club's organiser, Merle Stead, came to the Morley Observer in June after she was told by Joseph Priestley College they would have to find a new home. The room is to be turned into another classroom.

Although several offers of rooms were made none of the facilities were thought suitable and Merle decided to call it a day.

Merle said: "It is dreadful and I feel absolutely awful."

"I did think about going to St Paul's. That was offered and it might work but I have just had enough, I cannot battle anymore and to be honest on Monday morning I was going to pack it in altogether."

She emphasised that the Monday group she runs for the elderly will move to Ackroyd Street Working Men's Club on September 1, where they will continue with their coffee mornings with games and bingo.

Merle has run the luncheon club for 17 years along with a band of volunteers.

"They are absolutely marvellous people," she said. "We are a little family, nothing is too much trouble.

"It is a crying shame that it has come to this."

Merle was originally told they would have to move on in July but they were given an extra month and she had begun to hope they might be allowed to stay.

So it came as a blow when they were given a final date and work started on clearing the room out.

She had been offered several rooms around Morley but none were suitable for such a large group of people, many of whom are disabled.

This was very frustrating for Merle, who dedicated the last 30 years at least to a succession of clubs and groups for people in Morley.