IT IS the once popular club which has welcomed hundreds of dock workers.

But now the Port of Southampton Club is to close after more than 50 years due to falling membership.

The club was founded in 1966 and aimed to foster relationships between organisations connected to the port.

Its social side developed with dinner dances, fashion shows and trips abroad.

Now, a letter sent from the club, informs members it will close at the end of the current membership card in March 2018 and that its final dinner dance will take place on March 5.

The letter reads: “ As you will know our membership has been decreasing year on year for some time.

“This has meant the number of members at our functions has also been dropping resulting in financial losses each time.

“We have been unable to attract new members for some time as the youngest generation don’t enjoy the type of functions we run.”

Members used to attend events and an annual dinner at the former Polygon Hotel in Southampton. Only three months after it was founded, the club boasted 200 members and by 1973 it had reached 700.

Its first big function was organised in July 1966, with a buffet dance at the Skyway Hotel and four years later the annual club’s dinner dance was regarded as the most successful in its history.

However, in recent years membership has decreased forcing the club’s committee to decide to close.