THE secretary of a working men’s club which fought a bitter legal battle for 13 years to regain it from the clutches of a brewery says all the hard work paid off as the club prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary.
Two years ago members of Ward Green Working Men’s Club were officially declared its owners after a legal battle which went all the way to the House of Lords.
Their victory began a new chapter in the life of the club which has so far been a happy one. The club is once again thriving and doing well.
Secretary Alan Graham said: “It’s been a long battle, but we’ve got a better club, a better product and we’ve got more control.
“I don't think there’s a person in the club who’d say we shouldn’t have done it.”
It’s not all been plain sailing though - with ownership and control comes responsibility.
“We’ve got bills now we never had before. We’ve got a mortgage basically.”
The club’s trustees took Sam Smith's Brewery to court in 2002 after the brewery sold the building to a subsidiary in contravention of an agreement that members could buy it.
In June 2008 the House of Lords ruled in the club members' favour but there was a dispute over the value of the building - trustees had it valued at £85,000 and Sam Smiths had it valued at £300,000.
The value of £145,000 was eventually decided by a judge, meaning the £85,000 raised by members to buy the club wasn’t quite enough.
To make up the shortfall a loan was agreed with Molson Coors brewery.
“We’ve got a mortgage basically,” said Alan, 59, of Dorchester Place, Ward Green.
“It’s all fine, it’s going well, but it is an adjustment when you’ve gone from paying rent of about £400 every three months.”
While rent may have been cheap in the Sam Smith’s days, the members had little or no control over the building’s future and had been given notice to quit by the brewery before taking ownership.
Alan is confident that now the members own the club it will be around for generations to come and can’t be sold from under them to be redeveloped.
Next month marks 80 years since the club started trading. On November 18 there will be a birthday celebration at the club with a band and buffet and a display of memorabilia.
“We have ledgers and minutes of meetings that were held even before fixtures and fittings were put in the club, said Alan.
“We would like to reach out to past members, committee men, stewards and stewardesses, football, cricket and darts teams to ask if they have any photos or club memorabilia.”
Items can be taken along to the pub as soon as possible, but before the event on November 18.
