RELIEF AS CLUB’S FUTURE SECURED

NEW OWNERS TAKE ON CAMEO NIGHTSPOT

Ashford’s only nightclub has been saved from the brink of closure by a Scandinavian firm.

Cameo in Station Road was staring into the abyss last year when the Deltic Group which owned the site put itself up for sale in a bid to stave off bankruptcy.

But Rekom - which operates more than 130 bars and clubs in Denmark, Finland and Norway - has rescued the UK’s largest nightclub operator in a £10m deal.

It means the future of the nightspot is now secure and bosses say they are raring to reopen as soon as Covid rules allow.

A Cameo spokeswoman said: “It’s obviously been a tough year where the future of our venue was taken to the brink due to Covid-19 and lack of government support, so we are naturally delighted to be offered this lifeline by Rekom.

“We can’t wait for the day we are allowed to open our doors as a nightclub again and party like we’ve never partied before.

“In the meantime, we will continue to work with our friends in the late night sector and press government for proper financial support as there are hundreds of good businesses out there not as fortunate as us who still face the real threat of closure and job losses.”

The mid-19th century Cameo building, which has changed hands several times over the years, was first converted into a nightclub in 1998.

It is a Grade II-listed former rail-side warehouse which has been operating as Cameo since 2014 following a £1.25m makeover.

Inside Cameo before it opened in 2014 following a £1.25m makeover, right, Hustle previously occupied the prominent Station Road spot