THE volunteer group running Penningtons Tea Room has announced that the popular community hub is closing in two weeks.

Friends of Pennington Hall Park (FoPHP) was given a five-year lease on the building when it first opened in June 2014.

But Wigan Council announced in November that it was making the park's cafe available for a community asset transfer as it could no longer afford to subsidise its running and maintenance costs.

FoPHP claims the council served it a six-month eviction notice in January while the group was in the process of applying to take over the ownership of the building via a community asset transfer.

It also claims that the council intends to allow burger and ice cream vans to sell food at the park and ban the cafe's customers from eating and drinking on the chairs outside, hamstringing the group's hopes of running a sustainable business.

FoPHP says its eviction date is July 25 but it has decided to shut up shop on June 4.

Chair Trisha Taylor said: "It is a real shame because my husband George and I have put £18,000 of our own money into Penningtons Tea Room and many people have told us it is one of the best things to happen to Leigh in years.

"All the volunteers in the group have worked so hard for the park and the cafe and events we run mean a lot to so many people.

"We have always had the community at heart and the money we raise at the cafe gets ploughed back into the park for events.

"So for us to have been treated like we have by the council is disgusting.

"We applied for a community asset transfer and have tried our best to work with the council.

"They have all our accounts and we submitted the best business plan you can imagine before the March deadline.

"But we haven't been offered anything by the council.

"All we have had from them is an eviction notice and been told that whoever ends up running the cafe can't have people eating outside and will have to compete with burger vans and ice cream vans, pretty much taking away any chance of making it sustainable.

"The eviction date we have been given is July 25 but we are closing the cafe on June 4 to give us time to move all our goods out of the premises before being evicted.

"It is the end of an era and we wish whoever takes over the premises works for Pennington Hall Park and the community."

Any community or volunteer group could apply for the community asset transfer but the council now insists that it wants FoPHP to continue running the cafe.

Deputy chief executive Paul McKevitt said: “Wigan Council is not closing Penningtons Tea Room.

“We want to work with the community and ensure it remains open to the public.

“Through The Deal a number of assets have been transferred to community groups and it has worked very successfully.

“We were due to meet the group next week to run through its community asset transfer application, however it has asked for this meeting to be postponed as not all members can be in attendance.

“We are keen for the transfer to take place so it will be a real shame for the residents of Pennington and visitors should the group choose not to work with us to protect the cafe's future.”

Trisha says the group cancelled the meeting due to a key member being away on business.

"We can't make that interview date and have told the council so," she said.

"In an ideal world we would sit down around a table with the council, talk everything through, be offered reasonable terms for a community asset transfer and sign it.

"But with the way the council has been I won't hold my breath.

"We are just volunteers. We are not employees. The way we have been treated over this is not right."

Lowton East Cllr James Grundy had a meeting with FoPHP over the dispute yesterday, Friday.

He said: “I have been informed by the council that it does not want to see the cafe closed and is willing to sign off on an agreement with the volunteers.

“I think the Friends of Pennington Hall Park group is willing to find an agreement with the council too.

“Hopefully the issue will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.”

FOPHP was formed in 2006 to improve Pennington Hall Park and its facilities.