Fears for future of Salisbury social club
The Stratford Social Club could face closure if new income isn't found
There are concerns for the future of a Salisbury social club, with a call out for more members to join, activity groups to rent their space and volunteers to support their committee.
The Stratford Social Club has been a staple of the community for many years, but it's struggled financially, especially since the Covid pandemic.
The club currently has 170 members on its books, but it's feared that with rising energy bills and overheads, that might not be enough to sustain it.
Salisbury City Council owns the building and doesn't charge a rent for the club, but the authority wants to see it thriving.
Chair of the Stratford Social Club committee Carl Doran said:
“This is a fantastic facility, run by an amazing but increasingly small group of volunteers. We need to shout out for hirers and members and say if we don’t use it, we will lose it.”
Mr Doran has also been hiring the basement of the club for his own business, The Happy Fruiter, since the pandemic - with that rent being a lifeline for the club,
The committee say they have one quarter's running costs in the bank, so there's a push for more groups and organisations who would like to use the spaces, for either individual sessions or as a long-term partner in the facility.
Dolly Burnett has been a committee member at Stratford since 1998 and said:
“We have been the venue for a number of community events over the last few months and it’s as important to have places when times are hard as it is to have places to celebrate, what our club is for many people.
"We have celebrated New Year, hosted darts tournaments and the monthly Mencap Disco and also been the venue for wakes and memorials. We just want to share our spaces with more people and sadly we have whole days in the week where the club is empty – surely someone out there needs this space?”
Anyone interested in membership or hire of the club can email the chair of the committee at carldoran1@virginmedia.com
Community organisations interested in full day or multiple day use of the facilities can contact the City Council Communities Team at bhc@salisburycitycouncil.gov.uk