Members launch bid to save Colony Club

Three months ago Michel Wojas announced that he was standing down as the manager of the Colony Room Club, one of the last remnants of rackety, bohemian life left in London's Soho. Members, among them Lucien Freud and Damien Hirst, were saddened by the news, but this soon turned to dismay and then anger when Wojas, who owns the lease to the premises, broke the news that he was going to close down the club as well.

This prompted two well-heeled members, Hamish McAlpine, the film distributor, and Lisa Stansfield, the singer, to enter negotiations with Wojas to have the lease reassigned to themselves. And it looked like the future of the club, which was founded in 1947, was secure. But now it seems these hopes may have been premature. "The whole thing has broken down in acrimony," says The First Post's Soho source. "As I understand it, Lisa and Hamish wanted some transparency on the outstanding financial position of the club, and this has not been provided. Quite honestly, it looks like the end."

Maybe not. Die-hard members are attempting to force Wojas back to the negotiating table. A letter has been fired off to Geraldine Blake, chair of the Colony's general committee, asking for an extraordinary general meeting to be called in accordance with the club's rules to get things back on track.

Meanwhile, another matter is troubling members - who owns the club's art collection? Over the years, many of its famous patrons have donated work to hang on the club's walls, among them Sarah Lucas, Gavin Turk and Sebastian Horsley. There was once even a Damien Hirst spot painting, though this is long gone. Some of these were given to Wojas as personal gifts, but not all. One work that certainly wasn't is the large Michael Andrews painting that spreads across the club's back wall.  "It's worth a mint," one member told The First Post. "Maybe as much as £100,000. I suppose if the club does close, Michael will share out the money among the members. So it's not all bad." ·