THE long-running saga of the missing equipment for a youth club was finally over this week – well almost. Biggleswade Youth Club had been forced to close in January after equipment it had bought had failed to arrive. The games equipment had been purchased

THE long-running saga of the missing equipment for a youth club was finally over this week - well almost.

Biggleswade Youth Club had been forced to close in January after equipment it had bought had failed to arrive.

The games equipment had been purchased with a £3,500 grant from the Bedfordshire Police Authority and had originally been promised by Bedford suppliers World-of-Sport.biz back in November.

Last week the patience of the club committee finally ran out when it warned the company that if the equipment was not at the club on Monday it would demand a full refund and possibly take legal action.

A delighted club chairman Paul Burne was at the clubhouse in the grounds of Holmemead School on Monday afternoon to see the equipment unloaded.

It will now mean the club having a great re-opening evening tonight (Thursday) when the doors will be open again from 6.30pm and be open every Thursday from now on.

Only two pieces of the equipment, a table tennis table and snooker table, were missing, the latter being broken in transit from China, but it will be replaced by the end of the month.

"It is brilliant and we are all thrilled to bits," said club committee member Ken Lynch.

"Eleven weeks of torment is finally over and we can get on with the task of re-establishing the club again.

"It is the young people of Biggleswade who have suffered and they could do nothing about it."

Mr Burne said as he unpacked the equipment: "I am very pleased this whole business is all over and we can now open our doors this week and do the job we have all wanted to do for so long, and that is make Biggleswade Youth Club successful.

"We have had three months of anguish and despair. But the equipment is here now and it is all systems go to build this club up for the local kids to be proud of.