Rise and fall of WMCs
 

What are your thoughts on the falling from grace of working men's clubs, bingo has been mentioned in another thread, what's your take

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

When it costs more for a pint in a 'non profit making' WMC than it does in a pub no wonder membership dwindles.:confused:

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

I once participated in the 'rescue' of a WMC.
It was 'going under' due to the devious syphoning off of funds by an earlier committee.
The financial transactions were not properly monitored, so that theft was possible without risk of detection.

When we were told of examples such as -
..a committee member making a 200 mile round trip during his holiday, for the sole purpose of doing his 'job' of emptying the one armed bandits .... you become aware that fiddling by committee members was accepted and the others 'turned a blind eye' and had their own perks.

The new committee I was part of for about a year, were aware of the past fiddling and were determined to put the club back on its feet. I worked two evenings a week selling raffle tickets during concert nights (the place was packed) for the small reward of two free pints of beer.

As the club regained its viability, some of us left the committee and gradually the culture of the committee's financial perks crept back

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

My dad used to go to Intack WMC until it stopped opening during the week, it only opens at weekends now, whats the point in paying your subs for such little usage

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

these things pointed out, have added to the decline, more expensive ale, not open as used to be etc, i still maintain the decline started wi sodding bingo, fer reasons i mentioned in other thread,i think its a build up of these differant things, making clubs no longer attractive to many people, as Margaret R said. committees back in the day have much to answer for.:eek:

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

I was once hauled before a "committee" who asked.
"Why have you changed the lock on the upstairs bar"

My reply "How do you know I have" - I was met with a wall of silence.

Says quite a lot.

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

Over recent years the character of the clubs I used to frequent has changed a lot . Much of it not for the good .
This may be because of the steady decline in membership , volunteers for the committee , and general attendance .

I can recall going into the Willow Mount on a Saturday night , and by 7.30 it was nearly full . Good company . Good artists . Good beer . Good times .

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

How about the smoking ban?

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

I think that has contributed to the decline .

The last time I visited a club I didn't like having to keep going outside for a fag . But I believe smokers have lost that battle .

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

I built the small extension on the front there just to house the one armed bandits.Pity they did little for the two legged ones.:D

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

Not the cause of the decline but did nothing to help.:(

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

No WMCs here that I know of but the only bar/pubs that are doing OK are the ones that have stuck 2 fingers up to the smoking ban. No anti-smoking enforcers here, sometimes feel sorry that I quit over a year ago:(:(:(

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

To me.. and I'll be honest.. the demise of "working mens clubs" started in the late 70's early 80's.. mass unemployment is bound have a bad effect on "working men clubs".. also there was a time when you could not have a drink between 3 to 5 pm in pubs but people so inclined would go to th WMC's.. they were not needed after the new licence laws.
It is a worry.. speaking for myself when I do venture out to some parts I usually end up in a working men's clubs up north.. Lancashire, Northumberland, Cumbria.. all are first class and drinks are well priced..I don't think there is a demise of WMC's.. the pubs have far more problems.

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

if yer being honest the demise started late 70s early 80s? yet ya don't think there is a demise.:confused: makes perfect sense.:D

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

I think all licenced premises have problems, for various reasons, a total smoking ban didn't help any of them, you say you don't thin there is a demise Mancie, when clubs such as James Street and King Street, in there day probably two of the busiest clubs in Hyndburn, go to the wall and clubs such as Stanhill and the Nash in Ossy are struggling there are problems. I think the fact is that were as people like us Mancie, when we first started drinking joined a WMC, I joined the Nash, today's generations of new drinkers don't, its a local pub then down town, plus in our day if you were interested in say, playing snooker, WMC was the place, in our day there was only the Elite, now there are numerous snooker clubs up and down, all these factors don't help, sadly

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

Whats the answer, do you aim for the younger crowd, new blood to keep them going? How would you do this? :confused::confused::confused:

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

No easy answer I'm afraid G. we live in a different era than when we were young, it was the done thing to join a WMC not anymore, it now cost the earth for live music in the concert rooms, mediocre acts are charging £150 a night and that is self contained without live backing, I remember the Tampits had a policy of not allowing artistes with canned music and insisted on organ and drums backing, it is now closed, Ossy Social club do not have Saturday night concerts anymore, they were losing £100s every Saturday night on artistes and bar staff etc, now its open for hire on Saturdays and its now holding its own

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

very difficult to repair the damage i think, like soccer WMCs depend on the younger end coming through n replacing us owd farts, who croak or get to decrepid to go out. making them attractive to a new breed is the trick, like i said very difficult.:eek:

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

The problem J is that kids today behave nothing like we did. They have so much money now but all the want to do is get out of their heads, and this is as a group, something that only used to happen occasionally back in the day. So unless they get loud, and I mean LOUD music, lots of the opposite sex, that's all they seem to want today. Something old George sitting at the same table he has for the last 47 years making 3 pints last 4 hours, isn't going to put up with!! I can't see any answer. Will there be any clubs left 10 years from now???

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

probably not ... last week went to a general meeting of a club in hassy ... the committee called it as they've basically no money ... its centenary is next year and theyre hoping to hang on till then at least .. but theyre paying £150 for an artist on a saturday night and £100 for one on a sunday, they have bingo on friday nights, other nights of the week they rent out the function room upstairs for dancing and band practice ... but theyve had to shut on a monday and tuesday .. they cant afford to keep it open ...

think what happened to this was that the clientele got older ... and so want bingo and artists .. young people dont want that .. and the pubs used to kick everyone out at last orders ... 11.30pm unless you knew the landlord who was willing to do after time .. and then you'd go to the club where you knew they'd do extra .. but they changed it in the 80s that pubs could stay open longer .. and off to the night clubs .. and instead of going to clubs near home .. young ones would go off to the night clubs that were near they were out and about .... they had money for booze and taxis to get them home again ...

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

like some of us, the WMCs are a dying breed.:eek::D

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

When we were over in May we were in the Poplar and Sydney St WMCs. On both occasions they were pretty full - Poplar was a Rock & Roll Night and Sydney St was the Accyweb Meet.
Before I joined the R.A.F. I was a member of the Tanpits, but visited many others on a Friday evening with my Dad. I guess it was the culture of that era and preceeding ones. I don't think we will ever see those days again - more's the pity.

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

people will go where ever its cheaper to get a drink.

especially in towns like accy etc. if its the supermarket then thats what it'll be. if they want a night out its pretty hard to beat some of the offers on a sat night

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

Need to rename clubs to Street Corner Clubs and put a street light outside the door... the young uns always seem to congregate there...

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

If that was the case we'd have to bring the drinking age down to 13 me thinks:D

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

Demise of clubs,yes deffo.l ets not think its over though.canine for example is excellent on a saturday day and night,.some very young people even come in for the cheap drinks as a start to an expensive night out after.Has we see pubs struggle so are social,working mans,polical pubs struggling.hopefully some will pull through.has for the nights when they had live acts on,well no chance,not in accy,maybe in some northern cities like newcastle,liverpool,manchester.

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

i'll give you that jaysay ,you are right with most of that.

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

A few weeks ago I read somewhere on the forum that Bold Street Club was closing .

Bosses at Bold Street Working Men’s Club in Accrington have said reports the venue had closed are having a damaging effect on business and they needed to do something to attract people back.

Committee member Dave Simpson said there was a meeting was held six weeks ago to discuss closing the club on Bold Street, but they had subsequently seen an upturn in fortunes. But now he said that was starting to be reversed.

Talent competition breathing new life into working men's club after setback (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

Bob Butterworth who was the Secretary of the Club until the last committee meeting was telling people that the club was closing on the 31st August.From what I was told he had spread it around.

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

Why does that not surprise me, having worked fer 6 years wi B.B. early 70s, :rolleyes:

Re: Rise and fall of WMCs
 

I see Bold Street Club has made the Telegraph