Club gala weekend marks 120 years
STEFAN JAJECZNYK
A WORKING Men’s Club is hoping to attract new members with a special gala event this weekend celebrating its 120th anniversary.
Park View Working Men’s Club, on Bayley Street in Clayton-le-Moors, will be open to all on Sunday, July 16 for an all-day celebration.
Sheila Banks, a licensee who joined the club four years ago, said she hopes the event will show off what the club has to offer.
She said: “We will have period costumes from the time the club was founded, the ladies committee will be making a curry, and spud pie with hot dogs for the kids – so there will be something for everyone.”
Entry to the event is free, and there will be entertainment from Accrington band The Ranting Lads, with a disco and karaoke to finish off the evening.
While the club has regulars, some of whom joined in the 1940s, its location makes it difficult to attract a passing trade.
Sheila said: “We are struggling to survive – we’re a bit hidden and tucked round a corner so not many people know that we’re here.
“It is very important for the community. A lot of the men have lost their wives or never married and some of them are lonely and the club helps them.
“We have a lot of characters, and people who have dedicated most of their lifetime to the club like Steve, our chairman, who made a promise to his father, who used to run the club, to keep the place running. We just need more people coming down - there’s good company and the drinks aren’t dear.”