CHIPPENHAM NEWS: THE fan of a demolished nightclub has been offered £1,500 for memorabilia he rescued from its ruins.

Colerne man Steve Peachey, 46, is the proud owner of a disco ball and Virgin sign from Goldiggers nightclub in Chippenham, which was knocked down earlier this year.

After an article about the prize possessions appeared in the Chippenham News two weeks ago Mr Peachey had a £1,500 offer for the items from a mystery London businessman.

He said: "The chap who spoke to me is from Reading and does a lot of buying for this person.

"I don't know who it could be but I've got a strong gut feeling it might be something to do with Richard Branson."

He thinks the Virgin boss might be interested in the items from the former Virgin-owned nightclub.

Mr Peachey had hoped to keep the items himself but has decided to advertise them on internet marketplace eBay because he is moving house and will no longer have a garage to store them in.

He said: "We are talking about a 7ft sign. I'm gutted to let it go but you would need your own private disco room to put it in.

"It's not the sort of thing you can hang on the wall of your house."

He hopes a pub or bar in Chippenham will snap it up.

"Despite the fact that this chap has given me a very good bid for it I'd rather it stayed in Chippenham.

"I think the big Virgin sign would look lovely in an exclusive club in Chippenham or a bar or somewhere like that because it's a piece of Chippenham's history."

Mr Peachey has also set up an e-mail address to encourage Goldiggers fans to get in touch. He is keen to hear stories from nights out at the club, and to see pictures of fun times at the venue. The address is goldiggers@hotmail.com.

Tracey Griffiths, 40, from Swindon, paid £350 for a pink neon Goldiggers sign auctioned on the internet earlier this month. The garden furniture designer met her husband at Goldiggers and has put the sign in a disco room in her garden.