A COMMUNITY golf club has honoured its longest serving member by naming its new bar after him.

Matty Stoves, who is 93, has been a member at Seaham Golf Club since he was 20.

The former miner, who worked at Dawdon Colliery for over 45 years, recently unveiled the new faculties and spoke of his immense pride.

He said: “It is absolutely tremendous and an honour to have this development named after me.

“I have been a member since 1948 and no-one has enjoyed their time here as much as me.

“I have had many games of golf and many social nights with friends and this bar is going to be a great asset so people can do the same for years to come.”

The club, which was founded in 1911 and has been a central resource in the Seaham community ever since, has been supported through the major project by its members, many of whom donated their time and services to work on the renovation.

Manager Michael Trippett said: “Matty is such a special part of the club and so many of our members, myself included, have been there for him all through the pandemic.

“That’s how well he is thought of at Seaham Golf Club and by naming our bar in his honour, he’ll be with us for generations to come.”

As well as the significant refurbishment, the club’s catering offering has also been changed, with the food now being provided by The Tee Time Kitchen, run by Lesley Johnson and her husband Stuart.

With the onus on home-cooked food and cakes, The Tee Time Kitchen is building on its reputation as a caterer working across the North-East to attract new diners into Seaham Golf Club.

Michael said: “We are proud of our reputation as a community golf club which is totally loyal and committed to its members and we’ve seen that repaid in spades through this renovation, which has been a massive project.

“We’ve had members doing everything from demolition work to the decorating, which has saved us thousands of pounds, and we really hope they are as delighted as we are now they can finally come in and see it. Covid has been a really hard time for us, but by investing our time and resources into something so positive as this huge renovation, we hope people will support us as we go forward.”