Sheffield swingers' club to close and move to new venue as founders retire

La Chambre in Attercliffe has welcomed frolicking couples from across Britain since it first opened in 1998.

But the club has been forced to shut since the coronavirus lockdown began in March and now plans are being drawn up to find a new venue.

A club spokesman said: “As most clubs like ours have had to close due to Covid, it has proven to be a difficult time for us all and sadly we are starting to see some clubs making the awful decision to close their doors for ever. It breaks our hearts and we wish them all the best for the future.

“We have been reviewing our own club along with government guidelines to see what we can do ourselves, we have thought about every possible way that we can think of to get back up and running but each time we hit hurdle after hurdle that prevents it.

"We have taken a long hard look at La Chambre and like most clubs it make financial sense to remain closed as we lose less money than we would if we opened.

"We don’t see the point in paying for something that we are not using, so have decided not to renew our lease on our current building while we are unable to open, which will continue for the next six months under the current government guide lines.

“We are going to use this time to look for a new build that we feel will be more suitable and give us more options to open and also give us a chance to bring La Chambre a whole new lease of life. We have quite a lot of plans in place and a few buildings to look at, so we are going to be very busy over the next six months.

“We don’t want to give too much away at the moment, but we are very excited for the continued future of La Chambre. We will try to keep you all up to date as and when we can so please bear with us and we will try to keep in touch as and when we can.”

Swingers Barry and Marie Calvert set up the club in Attercliffe Road more than two decades ago, making headlines around the world with the club which attracts couples and singles from across Britain for fun and games.

The statement added: “We would like to announce that Marie and Barry, the oldest swingers in town, are hanging up their swinging shoes, whips and chains and slipping into the wonderful world of retirement. The whole team here at La Chambre would like to wish them all the best in their retirement.”

The husband and wife duo opened the club - formerly the Robin Hood pub - more than two decades ago and have written books about their escapades at La Chambre which has 20,000 members.

The club boasts a sauna, swimming pool as well as a torture dungeon and upstairs "playrooms" where men and women gather each weekend for mutual fun.

A Las Vegas newspaper once voted it the third best visitor attraction in the world. Top was the Grand Canyon.