A PARISH councillor is urging community groups to make use of a new hall on the former Glory Mill site or risk losing it altogether.

Wooburn parish councillor Peter Caithness told members of Wooburn Residents Association on Monday they it was a case of 'use it or lose it'.

He said: "We need to have local groups showing an interest, otherwise we will lose it by default. Basically, if we don't use it, we'll lose it."

The Odyssey Health Club, in Glory Mill Lane, Wooburn, has a community hall on the site and at the time of the plans being put forward there was an agreement for this to be made available for community groups.

But councillors fear that if enough groups do not come forward to use it that they will lose it to other groups from the sports club and John Dalton, vice-chairman of the parish council, is urging groups who want to use the facility to contact the council.

He said: "This centre is a positive thing for the community but we need to know who wants to use it, because if we don't use it, it is perfectly understandable that the club's chief executive John West will want to put it to good use."

But parish councillor Mike Appleyard said at the annual parish meeting last week that he had met with Mr West, and asked if the hall would be specifically for community groups.

He told the meeting: "When asked if we could find something like a bridge club that may wish to use the hall every Monday evening throughout the year, he said 'I don't know whether I would like that to happen'."

However, Mr West said there was no friction between Odyssey and the local parish council.

He said: "As yet nothing has been finalised and we have a meeting with the local parish council next Tuesday when we hope to complete the arrangements for the community centre."

If you have an interest in using the hall call contact parish clerk Gerry Barry on (01628) 522827