Morrissey has donated £50,000 to the Salford Lads Club, the institution pictured on the inner sleeve of the Smiths’ 1986 album The Queen Is Dead.
Laura Slingsby, the club’s head of youth operations, told Manchester Evening News: “We are deeply grateful for Morrissey’s generous donation to Salford Lads and Girls Club. His support is more than a financial contribution; it’s a powerful endorsement of our mission and a tribute to the club’s enduring role in the lives of young people and the cultural heart of Salford.
“As a youth worker for nearly two decades, it feels like yesterday that I was a young person myself, dancing around to This Charming Man. Today, that same ‘charming man’ has made a profound impact on our club. This is a place where I have the honour to advocate for, empower, and ensure young voices are heard above the noise in today’s society.”
After a drop in grant funding, the 121-year-old club – housed in a red brick Grade II-listed Edwardian building – must raise £250,000 by the end of November to avoid closure, and to keep its doors open for another year.
Manchester Evening News established the fundraiser, and Morrissey’s donation pushed the total to £216,000. The club intends to set up a legacy fund to secure its future beyond the next year, and wants to hire new staff to professionalise its running, as well as cover bills for utilities and insurance as well as building maintenance costs.
The club was initially founded for boys in 1903, but is now open to all young people and known as Salford Lads and Girls Club. Slingsby called it “a place where young people can come together, find their voices, and develop identities rooted in heritage. Morrissey’s connection to the club, immortalised through iconic moments in music history, has created a lasting cultural link that resonates deeply with the young people here.
“His contribution reinforces the importance of preserving spaces like ours – places where young people connect with their community’s history, freely express themselves, and build the confidence they need for their futures.”
Morrissey did not publicise the donation but gave the club permission to do so if they wished, said Slingsby. Morrissey previously donated £20,000 to the club in 2007 after lead was stolen from the roof, necessitating urgent repairs. In 2016, when he performed at Manchester Arena, he sold his merchandise at the club, which raised £12,000 alongside the club’s own merchandise.
The famous shot of the Smiths outside the club was taken by Stephen Wright. Project manager Leslie Holmes, who started the Smiths room at the club, told Manchester Evening News that he credited the photo with the club’s survival, giving it a sense of cultural heritage. “Quietly, he has done a lot for this club,” he said of Morrissey. “In terms of musicians, he has given us more than anybody else by a long way.”
Last month, songwriter Graham Nash also donated £10,000 to the club.
• This article was amended on 1 November 2024. Leslie Holmes is a man, not a woman as the pronouns in an earlier version had suggested.
