Brothers hope to cast spell on nightlife
TWO brothers have taken over the running of an Accrington nightspot - and are aiming to bring a sparkle back to the town centre’s nightlife.
Rick Stansfield and his brother Dan took over the reins of Voodoo five weeks ago, and are determined to make it into a must visit venue.
Rick, who previously managed the nightclub, on Willow Street, said he and his brother started a new company and took over the running of the club.
He said: “We were both previously managers at the club and since taking over the club have noticed how different things are in town now and the nightlife is getting quieter.
“When I was managing the club a few years ago the town wasn’t busy and over the years since I left the club it’s gone down again. We first took over a few weeks ago and we noticed how quiet the town was.”
Rick said he and Dan are determined to bring more people back into the town centre and make Accrington a place people want to go for a night out.
He added: “We are taking the approach of trying to bring the town back seeing as we are the town’s biggest club. In the five weeks that we have now been at the club we have seen the numbers rise and our customers have been very impressed with the changes and atmosphere within the club. Instead of cutting back when times are tough we are putting back in with special nights more DJs and entertainment at the club.
“It’s not enough just to open your doors and say we’re here, you need to do something to bring people in through the doors. I’m hopeful we can get the town’s nightlife going again - if they can do it in Burnley, then why not here? It’s not always feasible to get in a taxi or bus and go somewhere else for a night out, we want to make Accrington a place people want to come.”
Rick said they hoped other pubs and clubs in the town would follow suit and regenerate the town’s nightlife.