Rumour have been rife around the village that the club is about to close.

Happily it looks like these rumours were a bit premature to say the least.

Granted, the club is experiencing difficult times, as is, I suspect, many workingmen’s clubs and indeed pubs are. The credit crunch, a fear of losing your job, rising costs and the price of a pint all contribute to keeping people at home.

The smoking ban hit workingmen’s clubs hard, its just not the same having a pint or playing bingo without having a smoke, if that’s what you want to do. I don’t see why there couldn’t have been a reintroduction of the old ‘Snugs’, where there was no staff to worry about passive smoking. At least there, people could sit in a warm environment with like minded people and enjoy a smoke with their pint.

For the time being at least, the club marches on.

And long may it do so.