Euphoria in Leominster will close its doors on May 26

Euphoria, on South Street, has served the town since December 1994 after local DJ and entrepreneur Mark Mifflin received planning permission to change the former Jehovah’s Witness’ kingdom hall into a nightclub.

The club has been for sale since 2011 with a national bar and club agent, but Mark failed to find a buyer to take the club as a going concern. The building has instead been sold to a masonic lodge.

Mark said: “The nightclub business has declined over recent years because the licensing laws changed to allow pubs to open later than 11pm, plus the smoking ban.

“Cheap supermarket drinks and the recession have also had an impact.

“I am very surprised no one locally approached me to buy the club as a going concern.

“Although profits had declined it is still a profitable business and was easy to run trading only two nights a week.”

Mark said it will be a sad day for him when the doors finally close for good as a “tremendous amount of love, effort and expense” had gone into making the building a nightclub.

The businessman said the club was put up for sale because he wanted to retire from the nightclub trade.

Mark added: “When we first opened people thought we would be closed within six weeks due to trouble makers, but our strict door policy and security was to prove the club a safe and fun environment and an asset to the town.

“People think we have closed already, but all I can say is come and enjoy the last few nights you have left, celebrate the club’s life and let’s party out with a bang.

"Our last night will be May 26.”

Treasurer and trustee of the Royal Edward Masonic Lodge, David Sayers, confirmed the Freemasons will take possession on June 7 and said the group is “looking forward to it”.

He said there will be a few alterations which will include putting in a commercial kitchen, levelling off the sunken dance floor and making the two floors distinctly separate.

The top floor will be used as a meeting area and the bottom as a dining floor.