A petition has been launched by patrons of a popular dance and music venue, which had been ordered to either change its name or close.
The Ritz Ballroom, based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, was threatened with legal action by London’s famous Ritz Hotel.
As well as receiving an ultimatum to change its name, the venue was also ordered to surrender rights to its website and social media accounts.
Glen Smith, who has spent the past two years building up the business, said that running the venue had been “a labour of love” but told The Huddersfield Daily Examiner that he wasn’t optimistic about the future prospects.
He explained that the turn of events had left him with the stark choice of shutting up or bankrolling an expensive relaunch under a new name.
“It’s a legal battle I can’t win as I don’t have a million pounds to lose,” he said. “At the moment I don’t think there’s any point bringing (music) acts into the place as we can’t promote it.
“We are looking at ways to carry on but it’s difficult to see how we can. It would be a gamble. I have put a lot of money in and I am 61-years-old. I might have to walk away and say ‘enough is enough.’
“Staff have put their heart and soul into this place for the last two-and-a-half years. This is not of our own making.”
Local residents were left puzzled by the dispute, arguing that their Ritz was not likely to be in competition with the exclusive hotel and that it had operated under the name for more than 80 years.
The online petition to save the business was started at the end of last month and as of this week had received almost 3,500 signatures.