People living in a village on the outskirts of Norwich have today been urged to help a struggling social club celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Spixworth Social Club has served as a popular destination for generations of villagers since it opened in 1976 and this weekend will be throwing open its doors as part of an anniversary weekend.

A 70s-themed disco is due to take place at the Crostwick Lane venue today, with music act Danny Reno performing between 2pm and 5pm tomorrow.

A significant drop in earnings in recent months had left the social club facing an uncertain future with real doubts as to whether the anniversary would go ahead at all.

But chairman Neil Hastings said: 'We're still in dire trouble. We're really struggling but we were determined to get to the 40th whatever happened.'

The weekend celebration will be open to non-members as well as members, with Mr Hastings hoping the event might encourage people to take out memberships next year.

He said: 'We're hoping for a good turn out. I would just urge people to come up and have a drink and see what it's all about. The more people we can get to join the more chance there is of us staying open over the new year. It would be a shame to lose it now.'

As previously reported, people were urged to support the club at an annual general meeting in September.

The meeting heard the club, which has around 400 members, needed to make between £3,000 to £4,000 per week to be 'comfortable' but some nights has taken as little as £50.

The club was opened as an addition to the village hall on November 20 1976, after a committee secured £4,500 in loans to fund it. Since then, it has become a popular spot for generations of families and sports clubs within Spixworth and even saw the late Paul Daniels perform magic tricks there in 2006.

Visit www.spixworthsocialclub.co.uk for more information. Are you battling to save a community venue? Email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk