Volunteers win licensing battle

Volunteers who are running a community centre have been given permission to be responsible for its alcohol licence.Members of Fakenham Community Centre's management committee had applied to take over the role collectively of the building's designated premises supervisor (DPS) from Graham Blanchfield who had held the post for many years and was keen to retire.

Volunteers who are running a community centre have been given permission to be responsible for its alcohol licence.

Members of Fakenham Community Centre's management committee had applied to take over the role collectively of the building's designated premises supervisor (DPS) from Graham Blanchfield who had held the post for many years and was keen to retire.

The application, subject to conditions, was granted by the licensing sub-committee of North Norfolk District Council. They considered the application fully and it was considered that, although there had been problems in the past at the premises, the new team of volunteer managers had turned a corner and moved the centre on.

The licence sub-committee felt that there had been a lot of hard work by the volunteers running the centre and the conditions would mean that the sub-committee would in future be made aware of any changes of personnel on the management committee.

Management committee vice-chairman Ben Francis had previously said that in the past two years chairman Dawn Humphreys and secretary Trish Blanchfield had been working hard to move the centre forward.