I was saddened when one of the Lewes Clubs closed when Vic and Tina Smith retired
Well, we had to sometime and my 70th birthday and with the club still vibrant and financially viable, it seemed to be a good time to pass on to someone else. We gave 12 months notice of our intention to stand down after 50 years of running a weekly folk club - and we both had and still have many regular commitments to the folk scene including the Lewes festival. We tried to groom younger residents to take more responsibility but all to no avail. The person who showed the most interest in taking over was three months younger than me! Sadly. when we went through the list of things that we did on a weekly basis to ensure that there was a sizable audience and enough quality performers each week, I'm afraid that we frightened him off.
Yes, Jim, it is sad; I feel it too but the alternative was for us to plod on and become less effective with age and see a decline set in. As it is we can both look back with a sense of achievement and pride.