Shock at Wolverhampton's Strykers' mystery closure
Customers who have booked functions at a landmark bowling alley today said they have been left in the dark after the venue closed suddenly.
Mystery continues to surround the closure of Strykers, on Shaw Lane, in Bushbury.
Audrey Smalling, of Coventry Street in Wolverhampton, had booked for 320 people to attend her 60th birthday party at the popular venue in December.
She was shocked to hear that the premises had closed and is worried she may not get her £100 deposit back.
Ms Smalling, who is paralysed from the neck down as the result of a car accident, said: "I had saved up to have this party.
"I have telephoned the company and nobody is answering."
The venue opened in the early 1980s and was bought by Garland Leisure Ltd in 2011. The company, based in Kent, owns 30 bowling alleys across the UK, which are branded 1st Bowl.
It remains unclear whether or not the Wolverhampton bowling centre has closed permanently.
The Express & Star has been unable to reach the company's head office.
Managers at different branches have given conflicting reports. One said Strykers had closed for a refurbishment, while another said it had shut its doors permanently, along with four other branches, as part of a 're-structuring' of the business.
Days after the 24-lane centre shut, metal thieves broke in and stole copper piping, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
