Members of Basford Hall Miners' Welfare Social Club are 'not going away' as they plan to launch a takeover bid after it was announced the club would be liquidated. Packing out a function room at Headstocks Public House in Cinderhill on Wednesday evening (March 16), discussions centred around what could be done to save the club.
Basford Hall Miners' Welfare Social Club Ltd, which was responsible for running the club and bar activities at the venue in Goldcrest Road, will be liquidated. But the Basford Hall Miners' Welfare Centre, an independent charity governed by its own trustees, which owns the land and buildings on the site, will remain.
Speaking at the latest meeting, organiser Josie Hart, of Aspley, said she was still "skeptical", but said it gave them an opportunity to build a "completely different" club. "There are so many people interested in the club, I can't see why we're not going to make it happen," the 74-year-old told Nottinghamshire Live. "It would be a completely different outlook, we'll be family orientated, we'll be open to anything."
Addressing fellow members, she said this moment was "the hard part", explaining how, following the eventual installation of new trustees, they would need to create their own bid to run the club. This would involve creating a board of directors, but more importantly securing funding to help obtain premises, gaming and entertainment licenses as well as to find suppliers.
However, she said she had already been approached by interested parties which could help with funds, such as someone looking to book out the premises for a caravan event and another for martial arts classes. Rallying members, Ms Hart said: "We are not going away, [CISWO] thought we'd walk away but we didn't and we are not going to.
"We just need help and investment. If there's anybody out there who wants to invest, we're open to anything."
Ms Hart said the club would most likely require a new name. Suggestions of Cinderhill Social Club and Goldcrest Social Club were made by members - as well as Creepers. "You can't go up to a licensing board and ask for a license for Creepers," replied Ms Hart.
It all comes after the closure of the venue prompted club regulars to protest outside the offices of CISWO, The Coal Mining Charity, on March 2. Demonstrators, who gathered outside the offices in Berry Hill Lane, Mansfield, said they felt let down, claiming they had not been consulted over plans for the future of the building.
CISWO has said its role was to support the delivery of charitable outcomes of the charity, not for commercial activities, and that it had been working with trustees of the charity to move forward with their options. A CISWO spokesman said: "We are working with the charity to help them recruit new trustees to find a way forward, including how facilities can continue to be used for the local community."
Regulars were previously told that they would have to raise £30,000 in order to keep the venue afloat.
