Portuguese Club falls victim to health and safety

Thursday 27th March 2008, 12:00AM GMT.

THE central hub of the Portuguese community has closed down after nearly 40 years because it cannot afford to bring the building in line with health and safety regulations.

The Portuguese Club of Jersey closed its doors for the last time on Sunday when more than 100 people toasted the end of an era at the James Street premises.

The club’s vice-president for the last 12 years, former Jersey football captain Nelio de Freitas, said that they had no choice but to close.

‘It was an emotional last night because we had been there since 1971,’ he said. ‘It was very busy and proved that there is still a need for the club, but we have had pressure from health and safety because the building doesn’t have enough fire exits and the entire place needs rewiring. We were happy to fix it up but we just didn’t have the funds.’

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