Club Mirror 2015 - celebrating 2015 Club Awards

clubmirror AT THE HEART OF THE COMM UNITY

Celebrating clubs Join us as we travel back in time This week - it’s the 2015 Club Awards!

C L U B A W A R D S 2021 N O W O P E N F O R E N T R I E S

Contents

club mirror AT THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 2015

AWARDS, EVENTS AND CALLS TO ACTION

29

11 Club Mirror in action

STOP PRESS...

Want to revisit the Club Awards?

Then go to https://facebook.com/clubmirroruk/ And don't forget to Like us!

We Hailed the Ale and we Asked the Experts, at Club Mirror’s annual and exclusive trade show.

24 Association VIP reception Associations join Club Mirror to recognise clubs.

29 Club Awards. And the winners are...

For those of you who couldn’t be with us on 26 November this year, join us as we revisit a night of celebration at the 24th Club Awards.

31 32 38 41 41 42 43 44 45 46 46 47 48 49 49 51 52 53 53 55 57 58 59 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 65 66

Oh what a night.

Welcome.

Roll of Honour.

Community Club of the Year.

Outstanding Service Award.

Bar Manager/Steward of the Year.

CAMRA’s Real Ale Club of the Year.

Catering Club of the Year.

Golf Catering Club of the Year.

Business Initiative of the Year.

Green Club of the Year.

Innovative Club of the Year.

Turnaround Club of the Year.

Marketing Club of the Year.

Website of the Year.

Football Club of the Year.

Cricket Club of the Year.

Bowls Club of the Year.

Golf Club of the Year.

Rugby Club of the Year.

Sports Club of the Year.

Sports and Social Club of the Year.

Darts Club of the Year.

Racing Club of the Year.

Entertainment Club of the Year.

Membership Club of the Year.

Refurbishment Club of the Year.

Traditional Club of the Year.

Committee of the Year.

Outstanding Service Award.

Manager/Secretary of the Year.

King of Clubs 2015.

16

ASK THE EXPERTS 16 Club Kitchen When beer meets food....

26 Communications Making your website reach out to members.

27 Insurance Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

68 It’s classified!

Showcasing club-supporting suppliers.

11

NEWS, VIEWS, CLUB LIFE AND LEGISLATION 06 News Latest news and views.

08 Legal Eagle How time flies – 10 years on.

20 Sporting fixtures Sports4Bars.com looks ahead to the key live sporting fixtures coming to your screens.

BUILDING THE BUSINES

CLUB MIRROR 3

LEADER

Contributors

STOP PRESS...

Want to revisit the Club Awards?

Then go to https://facebook.com/ clubmirroruk/

Welcome to a very special issue of Club Mirror, where those of you who weren’t able to join us at the 2015 Awards can experience it through snapshots and sound bites from the action-packed evening, held in Manchester on November 26.

Our finalists and winners represented the best of the best, proving that clubs continue to provide a haven for their members, with a safe and welcoming environment in which to socialise with like-minded people.

Caroline Scoular

Sean Ferris

Nick Walton

Justin O’Regan

Mark Newton

Ashley Cairnes

Jill Slingsby

Hamish MacLean

Larry Hardcastle

Leigh Ann Ogilvie

Jonathan Hardy

David Foster

Resourceful and innovative, they are growing club business, with entertainment a key factor in bringing in new and existing members alike.

The universal engagement with sport across the club sector continues to escalate – whether that’s playing it or watching it. And with Sport England reporting a significant rise in people participating in sporting activity, clubs will be playing an ever more important role here.

Another universal truth amongst clubs is the commitment to helping others less fortunate than themselves. Charities benefit tremendously from clubs, who, without exception, raise funds for good causes, large and small.

Our 2015 finalists and winners have raised over £1million for charity between January and October this year alone.

In short, there can be no doubt that all of those clubs, gathered together under that one roof on that one night, proved yet again that clubs are pivotal to the social fabric of this country. Now, more than ever, clubs are proving to be at the heart of the community and we’re proud to have been working together to help secure this position for the past 47 years. Next year? Our collective determination will be even stronger.

Congratulations to each and every club reading this – finalist or not – for always being there for your members and your communities. Here’s to a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to all our readers.

Caroline Scoular Editor, Club Mirror

Editor Caroline Scoular Design David Foster Editorial Chris Colverd Events Jill Slingsby, Karen Foreman Display Advertising Margaret Doherty Sales and Marketing Manager Leigh-Ann Ogilvie, Circulation Jon Hardy Accounts Andrew Soles, Pam Attrill, Michael Jeffries Publishing Director Sean Ferris

Club Mirror is published by Alchemy Contract Publishing Ltd, Gainsborough House, 59/60 Thames Street, Windsor SW4 1TX. Tel: 01753 272022. Fax: 01753 272 021 Email: caroline@clubmirror.com; sean@clubmirror.com; leigh-ann@alchemymedia.co.uk; info@clubmirror.com ACP Gainsborough House 59/60 Thames Street Windsor Berkshire SL4 1TX UK t. +44 (0)1753 272022 f. +44 (0)1753 272021 e.info@alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk www.alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher. Club Mirror does not verify the claims made by advertisers regarding their products.

CLUB MIRROR 5

CLUB NEWS

Sport participation continues to rise, says latest survey There has been a dramatic increase in the number of people regularly playing sport, up 245,000 compared to figures published in June, according to Sport England’s ninth annual Active People Survey. The total figure for those participating in sport in the UK is now 15.74 million.

The number of women getting active regularly has increased by 148,700, attributed in part to targeted ad campaign ‘This Girl Can’.

Sport England’s Chief Executive Jennie Price said: “It’s good news that more women are playing sport, and driving an overall increase in the numbers. It’s particularly great to see This Girl Can is making a real difference. That’s because we’ve really focused on what drives women’s attitudes and behaviours.”

The survey reveals the number of women playing sport once a week, every week is increasing faster than the number of men,

Jennie Price

Emma Boggis

with the gender gap narrowing slightly from .

1.78 million to 1.73 million.

Other results flagged up in the report include: • Keep fit and gym (up 257,600) continue to thrive, with over 6.8 million people going

to classes and doing gym sessions once a week.

• Boxing (up 29,700 to 166,400) has seen a real growth in the number of men taking part, as well as people from lower socioeconomic groups.

Figures for lower socio-economic groups and disabled people, where the numbers are low and remain static, show the need for a change in approach and a focus on the needs of individual consumers.

“If we’re to see a further step change in the total number of people playing sport, we need to take a similar, consumer-focused approach in areas where the figures are stubbornly low, like disability and lower socioeconomic groups,” said Jennie Price.

Emma Boggis, Chief Executive Sport and Recreation Alliance, said: “These results reflect the hard work and innovation that is going on in the sports sector at the moment.

Governing bodies are adapting to the changing demand of participants and that shows in these figures. Governing bodies are creating opportunities for people across the whole country to discover sport and what it can offer. Their work means that more people are taking part in sport, and that’s a testament to the huge effort put in by governing bodies to create quality opportunities for people.”

F1 stars and whisky brand say “Join the Pact” As part of its global responsible drinking programme, Join the Pact, JOHNNIE WALKER®, staged a driving spectacular in London with the stars of McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team to encourage people to never drink and drive. Join the Pact launched last year and has already seen almost 2.6 million people make a personal promise to never drink and drive.

During the event, F1 Stars Mika Häkkinen, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso and fellow McLaren Honda driver and 2015 GP2 Champion Stoffel Vandoorne demonstrated their control skills in London’s Wembley Park and driving competition winners, media and special guests in a range of cars, including McLaren road cars and the Johnnie Walker supercar Caparo T1. The event also supported the Department for Transport’s Road Safety campaign ‘THINK!’ McLaren Honda driver Jenson Button said: “As racing drivers, we understand the importance of staying in control and never ever getting behind the wheel after consuming any alcohol. We’re confident that people will get the message. Millions already have, and we want to encourage millions more to make a personal commitment to get home safely and ‘Join The Pact’ by visiting jointhepact.com.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Alcohol Licensing 6 CLUB MIRROR

and Harm Reduction, Commander Simon Letchford said: “We’re very pleased to have this opportunity to work together with our partners from the drinks industry to get across the important message around responsible drinking over the festive season in the run-up to Christmas.

“We want people to enjoy a drink but to do so

responsibly and safely, and bear in mind that anti-social behaviour and road traffic accidents put a strain on emergency services and divert them from priority calls.”

•To join in the pledge, visit www.jointhepact.com or tweet #JoinThePact to @JohnnieWalker

UK clubs celebrate success at Club Mirror’s 24th Club Awards Clubs across Britain have been recognised at the Club Awards for the pivotal role they play in the UK. The Awards, now in their 24th year, were held on 26 November in Manchester and were hosted by sports and TV personality John Inverdale, with trophies presented by club-supporting sponsors and industry associations.

Clubs were applauded for their many attributes across 28 categories, from championing grass roots sports activities

and building entertainment programmes, to growing their membership and

STOP PRESS:

CLUB ASSOCIATIONS COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE Club Associations from across the UK joined Club Mirror at an exclusive VIP Champagne reception before the 2015 Club Awards commenced. They were joined by the Barclays Premier League Cup, courtesy of BT Sport, and were interviewed and filmed as they shared their views on the club sector and the economic and political environment.

CIU ELECTIONS ANNOUNCED George Dawson CMD has been re-elected as The CIU’s President for a third two-year term.

“It’s an absolute privilege to be given the opportunity to serve once again as President and you can rest assured that I will continue to do my absolute utmost to fight for the interests of all our clubs,”said Mr Dawson.

Vice-President John Tobin will also serve a further twoyear term having been elected unopposed.

All for charity

improving their facilities. Clubs were also congratulated for raising hundreds of

thousands of pounds for charity across the year.

“Against a backdrop of cheap supermarket drink, local pub closures and harsh trading conditions, clubs across the country have worked incredibly hard this year to constantly improve and provide a great offer for members. And they’re succeeding,” said Club Mirror Editor and Head Judge Caroline Scoular.

For further news on the UK’s only panindustry club awards, turn to pages 29-66.

Missed the Club Awards? Or want to download pictures of your club collecting your trophy?

Then visit https://facebook.com/clubmirroruk/ And don’t forget to ‘like’ us!

Suppor ted

The Alzheimer’s Society The Alzheimer’s Society, originally established as the ‘Alzheimer’s Disease Society’, began in 1979 when two people with extensive experience of caring for loved ones with dementia discussed the pressing need to raise awareness of dementia.

There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and the number is set to rise to 1 million by 2021. Dementia can happen to anyone and there’s currently no cure, says the Alzheimer’s Society.

The society believes passionately that life doesn’t end when dementia begins: “We are here for anyone affected by dementia, and we do everything we can to keep people with dementia connected to their lives and the people who matter most. We are here for anyone worried about or affected by dementia. We provide information and support, fund

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medical and social research, and campaign for better quality of life for people with dementia and greater understanding of the condition.”

The Society has almost 3,000 community-based services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, providing practical and emotional support for people with dementia and their carers. These include dementia advisers and support workers, dementia cafes, day and home support, befriending, carer support groups and the innovative Singing for the Brain groups.

It also helps others to improve and develop their dementia care practice through its training and consultancy and publications for health and social care professionals.

Research into the disease is paramout: “We are dedicated to defeating dementia through pioneering research, and fund an innovative programme of research into the cause, cure, care and prevention of dementia. By 2017, we aim to spend at least £10 million a year on new research projects that will make a real difference to people’s lives.

“From lobbying to influencing health and social care commissioners to improving public understanding of dementia, we help people to live well in their own homes, residential homes or hospital. “ Visit: www.alzheimers.org.uk Address: Devon House, 58 St Katharine’s Way, London E1W 1LB CLUB MIRROR 7

LEGAL EAGLE

How time flies

“ ”

This month our long-standing Legal Eagle, Nick Walton, is retiring. Here he reflects on 10 years with Club Mirror and takes a look at what’s changed – and what hasn’t.

I

was always very impressed by those who could remember where they were and what they were doing when momentous events occurred.

There are several that I remember however of those only two are engrained into my memory; The first is as a youngster being allowed to stay up most of the night during the summer holidays to watch Neil Armstrong step off the Eagle Module and walk on the moon (1969). Then the second is where I was and what I was doing on November 24, 2005. A group of us went to a very important event at the Railway Museum in York.

There was a very enjoyable meal followed by an Award ceremony. The Award ceremony was, of course, the Club Awards, the annual event which has been running now for 24 years.

But that wasn’t the only event which made the day so memorable. The Licensing Act 2003 commenced its operation in England and Wales. So when our group left the warmth of the Club Awards into the snow and windy weather, we couldn’t believe that York city centre was so quiet.

No fanfair, no bands, no fireworks and no raucous behaviour – despite the predictions of alcohol fuelled mayhem with 24 hour licensing now possible.

At breakfast time the next day we all waited for a report on TV of the consequences of the start of the Act which promised total freedom for the licenced trade in respect of their hours and their activities. None came, as history was made rather quietly and for me, lacking in the enthusiasm and razzmatazz which could and should have heralded such a change.

The Justices’ system of licensing had changed little since 1830. The Licensing Act 1902 became the template for Licensing Acts up to and including the 1964 Act which was replaced by the Licensing Act 2003.

The 2003 Licensing Act broke the mould forever, with a combination of alcohol licensing and entertainment being considered together under one licensing permission, the Club Premises The Club Awards 2005

At breakfast time the next day we all waited for a report on TV of the consequences of the start of the Act which promised total freedom for the licenced trade in respect of their hours and their activities. None came, as history was made rather quietly.

Nick Walton Certificate and Premises Licence, for the first time.

What have we learned since November 24, 2005 about licensing and those that operate licensed premises?

Ten years is a long time, an even longer time in politics and the lawmakers have struggled to get to grips with the permissive licensing and the problems which resulted.

Regular “re-balancing” of the Act has added more and more bits of legislation to deal with the alleged drink fuelled crime disorder which resulted from “24 hour licensing”.

The fact that alcohol consumption has steadily decreased over the last five years and premises offering 24 hour alcohol are rare, if not rarer than the few licenses granted in 2005, is probably irrelevant.

The permissive licensing regime which allowed licensees to choose hours and operate without regulations for the most part has gone probably for good. Enforcement of a licensing regime has prevailed with The Late Night Levy to batter the

already seriously compromised premises in their attempt to stay afloat in these days of stack it high, sell it cheap economics.

For this reason if for none other maintaining the club as the community hub becomes even more important. You may remember that we lobbied both Parliament and The House of Lords to have private members clubs exempted from the late night Levy but to no avail!

When you read this, another Club Awards ceremony will have passed. Judging by the numbers of clubbers attending the event (650 I believe) it’s clear that the private members club – be it social, sport or any other – continue to thrive in those places that care about their local facilities. I wish them all well and hope for their continued success.

I leave you on this positive note as I will retire from licensing at the end of this year. I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support during the years and I hope that whilst attempting not to be too controversial, some of those who legislate and those responsible for ensuring the continuity of the historically great and important part of British culture, were taking some notice of what Club Mirror and its Legal Eagle had to say!

Best wishes to you all.

If you have any questions surrounding this article or any other legal matters, please contact Poppleston Allen on 0115 953 8500.

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8 CLUB MIRROR

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TRADE SHOW

Club Mirror in action Club Mirrorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ask the Experts trade show in November saw club-supporting suppliers catching up with readers, sharing news, views, latest offers and inspirations. Watch out for more shows coming up in 2016.

> CLUB MIRROR 11

TRADE SHOW

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12 CLUB MIRROR

YOU NEED US ON YOUR SIDE...

MAKE AVENSURE PART OF YOUR TEAM Dealing with day to day issues when managing your staff can feel like a full time job in itself; so how do you ensure you are getting it right?

From having the correct contracts of employment to managing absence, sickness or holiday requests it is essential you are legally compliant for both HR and Health & Safety.

Here at Avensure, we can help.

Call us FREE today and ask for Ian Devlin. We can give free immediate advice on a pressing issue or tell you more about how we already assist numerous clubs nationwide, just like yours.

0800 294 5955 enquiries@avensure.com www.avensure.com

CLUB KITCHEN

Whenbeermeetsfood This month the chefs at Booker have focussed on big meals with big hearts – from Pork Belly and Ribs of Beef to Steak and Ale Pies and succulent Burgers. To accompany them they looked for equally big flavours, and where better to start than with bottled beers? Complex notes, subtle flavours, aromas ranging from citrus to floral and a whole breadth of hoppy happiness all add up to complete the treat.

SMOKEY TEXAN BURGER WITH CHUNKY GOURMET CHIPS Paragon Excellence Burger (M131202) Schwartz Grill Mates Smokey Texan Seasoning (M144919) CL Gourmet Burger Buns (M134792) CL Battered Onion Rings (M163538) CL Unsmoked Rindless Back Bacon (M115362) CE Mild Grated Cheese (M153117) CL Premium Extra Chunky Gourmet Chips (M182767) Salad Tomatoes (M097165) Florette Crispy Salad (M629340) CL Thick and Creamy Mayonnaise (M122272) CL Barbecue Sauce (M114401)

Cost per serving – £2.09 Accompanying beer 13 Guns American IPA (M182516) An American IPA with the name referring to the original 13 states of America. Hoppy with a rich mouth feel, a tropical fruit aroma and a malty after taste. Great with burgers, hotdogs & all American food.

Cost per serving (bottle) – £1.11

Smokey Texan Burger with Chunky Gourmet Chips

BBQ PORK RIB FEAST Rib World Barbecue Spare Ribs (M068842) Florette Crispy Salad (M629340) FF Cucumber (M113463) Fresh Baby Plum Tomatoes (M129466) Red Onions (M111479) Chefs Larder Battered Onion Rings (M163538) CL Coleslaw (M574624) FF Beef Tomatoes (M132029) Brookerpaks Corn On The Cob (M097224) CL Premium Extra Chunky Gourmet Chips (M182767) CL Premium Smokey Bourbon BBQ Sauce ( M144366) Chefs Larder Garlic Mayonnaise (M097304)

Cost per serving – £4.69 Accompanying beer Bombardier Burning Gold (M194315) A crisp golden ale with zesty aromas and a crisp, smooth, long lasting finish. The acidity of this ale cuts through the fatiness of the pork and the sticky sweet BBQ sauce.

Cost per serving (bottle) – £1.43

BBQ Pork Rib Feast

16 CLUB MIRROR Honey Baked Goats Cheese

Roast Rib of Beef

Pulled Pork Burrito

PULLED PORK BURRITO CL American Style BBQ Pulled Pork (M183898) CL Barbecue Sauce (M114401) Florette Crispy Salad (M629340) The Imokilly Cheese Company Soured Cream Set (M187627) Kingsmill White Flour Wraps (M192198)

Cost per serving – £1.03 Accompanying beer Sol 24 (M065634) A golden coloured Pilsner-style lager, with a fresh, malty yet fruity flavour and a soft slightly dry finish. A perfect balance for the spiciness of most Mexican dishes

Cost per serving (bottle) – £0.74 ROAST RIB OF BEEF (Serves 2-3) CL Carvery Rib of Beef (M094969) Bannisters’ Farm Traditional Roast Potatoes (M652060)

CL CL FF FF CL

Fine Gravy Granules (M194752) 20 Yorkshire Puddings (M175500) Broccoli Heads (M175189) Chantenay Carrots (M131297) Frozen Fine Green Beans (M189271)

Cost per serving – £8.65 Accompanying beer Morland Old Speckled Hen A distinctive rich malty taste bursting with toffee character, fruity aroma and deliciously smooth.

Perfectly complements quality British foods, premium pies, gravies, sausages, steaks and grills.

Works perfectly with Sticky Toffee Pudding too!

Cost per serving (bottle) – £1.49 PORK BELLY ON A BED OF MASH WITH CARROT PUREE CL Bone in Belly of Pork (M095215) CL Apple Sauce (M129864) Relish The Idea Chef’s Collection Red Wine Sauce (M145325)

FF FF

Carrots (M099783) Washed Maris Piper Potatoes (M103062) Lakeland Dairies Pure Irish Butter Salted (M126113) Müller Wiseman Dairies Pasteurised Double Cream (M966069)

Cost per serving – £0.97 Accompanying beer Westons Wyld Wood Cider (M099327) Matured in old oak vats for a fresh and full-bodied taste with a ripe aroma. The acidity of the apple is a perfect foil to the fatiness of the pork.

Cost per serving (bottle) – £1.25

Pork Belly on a Bed of Mash with Carrot Puree

> CLUB MIRROR 17

CLUB KITCHEN Steak in Ale Pie with Triple Cooked Chips

STEAK IN ALE PIE WITH TRIPLE COOKED CHIPS Love Pies Steak in Ale Pie (M199443) FF Washed Maris Piper Potatoes (M103062) CL Garden Peas (M426330) CL Fine Gravy Granules for Meat Dishes Gluten Free (M194752)

Cost per serving – £2.73 Accompanying beer Greene King Abbot Ale (M111152) Full flavoured, smooth and mature taste with fruit cake characters, a malty richness and superb hop balance. Perfect with rich hearty comfort foods, such as pies and casseroles and also great with cheese.

Cost per serving (bottle) – £1.49 CLUB KITCHEN CODES CE - Chef’s Essentials CL - Chef’s Larder CLP – Chef’s Larder Premium FF – Farm Fresh

18 CLUB MIRROR

PEANUT BRITTLE CHOC FUDGE BROWNIE Sidoli of Shrewsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownies (M089546) Mr. Tom Peanut Bar (M597054) CLP Luxury Madagascan Vanilla Dairy Ice Cream (M151303) Macphie Toffee Sauce (M069446) FF Strawberries (M108499) Cacao Barry Alkalised Cocoa Powder (M071635) FF Mint (M138096)

Peanut Brittle Choc Fudge Brownie

Cost per serving – £1.32 Accompanying beer Manns Brown Ale (M092032) A full flavoured light bodied Brown Ale. The malty flavours, slight sweetness and burnt sugar bitterness are superb with chocolate and other traditional puddings and desserts.

Cost per serving (bottle) – £0.49

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information and menu ideas contact Booker.

• t. 0845 60 12 999 • www.booker.co.uk

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LIVE SPORTING FIXTURES FROM

ATCH

ONE TO W

Sunday January 3, 7pm – Sky Sports Darts HD

Darts: PDC World Championship – The Final The Darts World Championship reaches its climax at Alexandra Palace as the original 72 competitors are whittled down to the final two who will play for the sport’s biggest prize fund and the prestigious Sid Waddell Trophy.

NDS RECOMME

The best of Sports4Bars.com looks ahead to some of the key sporting fixtures coming up in January, including the climax of the PDC World Darts Championship and some crucial ties in the Barclays Premier League.

Sunday January 3 3pm BT Sport 1 HD

Friday January 8 5.30pm BT Sport 1 HD

Aviva Premiership Rugby: Worcester Warriors v Harlequins

Darts: BDO World Championships Friday January 8 7.45pm BT Sport 1 HD

Sunday January 3 7pm Sky Sports Darts HD

Darts: PDC World Championship The Final

Tuesday January 12, 7.45pm – BT Sport 1 HD

Barclays Premier League: Newcastle Utd v Manchester Utd Fans will be hoping for more goal action than in the last encounter between these two sides back in August which ended up with a 0-0 draw.

The Magpies are certainly in desperate need of some points.

ATCH

ONE TO W

Aviva Premiership Rugby: Bath Rugby v Sale Sharks Saturday January 9 5pm BT Sport 2 HD

Tuesday January 5 6pm BT Sport 1 HD

FA Cup: 3rd Round Proper

Darts: BDO World Championships Sunday January 10 2pm BT Sport 1 HD

Wednesday January 6 6pm BT Sport 1 HD

Darts: BDO World Championships

Aviva Premiership Rugby: London Irish v Newcastle Falcons

Burnley v Derby County: Sky Sports 1 HD Monday January 25

Sunday January 24, 4pm – Sky Sports 1 HD

Barclays Premier League: Arsenal v Chelsea The last clash between these two teams was a highly charged affair which saw the Gunners finish with just nine men left on the field. The result was a 2-0 win for the Blues with Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard finding the back of the net.

The only place to show UEFA Champions League this season MEANS BUSINESS

20 CLUB MIRROR

No longer on ITV or Sky Sports

January’s live sport Tottenham v Sunderland: BT Sport 1 HD Saturday January 16

Tuesday January 12 7.45pm BT Sport 1 HD

Saturday January 16 12.45pm BT Sport 1 HD

Saturday January 23 12.45pm BT Sport 1 HD

Friday January 29 7.45pm BT Sport 1 HD

Barclays Premier League: Newcastle United v Manchester United

Barclays Premier League: Tottenham v Sunderland

Championship Football: QPR v Wolves

Aviva Premiership Rugby: Northampton Saints v Wasps

Sunday January 17 2.05pm Sky Sports 1 HD

Saturday January 23 12.45pm BT Sport 1 HD

Barclays Premier League: Liverpool v Manchester United

Barclays Premier League: Norwich City v Liverpool

Sunday January 17 4.15pm Sky Sports 1 HD

Saturday January 23 5.30pm Sky Sports 1 HD

Barclays Premier League: Stoke City v Arsenal

Barclays Premier League: West Ham v Manchester City

Monday January 18 8pm Sky Sports 1 HD

Sunday January 24 1.30pm Sky Sports 1 HD

Saturday January 30 3.15pm BT Sport 1 HD

Barclays Premier League: Swansea City v Watford

Barclays Premier League: Everton v Swansea City

Aviva Premiership Rugby: Saracens v Bath

Thursday January 21 10am Sky Sports 4

Sunday January 24 4pm Sky Sports 1 HD

Sunday January 31 1pm Sky Sports 2 HD

Golf: Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

Barclays Premier League: Arsenal v Chelsea

Snooker: World Seniors

Saturday January 23 12.30pm Channel 4

Monday January 25 7.45pm Sky Sports 1 HD

Channel 4 Racing: Ascot & Haydock Park

Championship Football: Burnley v Derby County

Wednesday January 13 8pm BT Sport 1 HD

Barclays Premier League: Liverpool v Arsenal Thursday January 14 8.30am Sky Sports 2 HD

Test Cricket: South Africa v England – 3rd Test, Day 1 Thursday January 14 8.30am Sky Sports 4

Saturday January 30 12.30pm Channel 4

Channel 4 Racing: Cheltenham & Doncaster Saturday January 30 1pm Sky Sports 3 HD

Snooker: World Seniors

Golf: Johannesburg Open Saturday January 16 12.30pm Sky Sports 5

Championship: Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United Saturday January 16 12.30pm Channel 4

Channel 4 Racing: Wetherby

Sunday January 31 3pm BT Sport 1 HD

Aviva Premiership Rugby: Worcester Warriors v Exeter Chiefs

The only place to show UEFA Champions League this season MEANS BUSINESS

No longer on ITV or Sky Sports

CLUB MIRROR 21

CLUB ASSOCIATIONS

Associations come together This year we were delighted to welcome representatives from many key club associations to an exclusive Champagne Reception on the day of the Club Awards. Associations form a lifeline for many clubs across the country and we all share the same aim – to keep clubs thriving and at the heart of their communities.

Associations represented on the day – from clubs to Head Office delegates – included...

24 CLUB MIRROR

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10 1. Colonel Stephen Foreman, Commanding Officer, 1st Military Working Dog Regiment.

2. National Union of Liberal Club's Bernard Simpson.

3. CIU NEC Member Dave Gravel.

4. CIU General Secretary Ken Green CMD with his wife.

5. The RFU's Alex Thompson.

6. Sport England's Richard Davis-Boreham.

7. Doug Wilson from Club Mirrorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student initiative steering committee.

8. The Royal Air Forces Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brian Fare with his wife.

9. CIU NEC Member Geoff Blakeley CMD.

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10. Eddie Charnley from the Alliance of British Club.

11. National Union of Labour and Socialist Clubs National President Mr Frank Nolan, far right, and General Secretary Bob Bates, far left, with their wives.

12. CIU General Secretary Ken Green CMD discusses PRS pricing during filming at the Drinks Reception.

13. Sean Ferris and Sport England's Richard DavisBoreham discuss government initiatives and trends in the club sector.

14. John Vincent from sponsor BT Sport talks with CIU NEC Member Chris O'Neill.

11

12

14

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ASK THE EXPERTS – COMMUNICATIONS

Making your website reach out to members When we think of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) we immediately associate this term with a complex system that will bewilder us and makes us turn a blind eye to it. But what if we told you SEO is simpler and easier to understand than you think? Larry Hardcastle explains.

A

fter reading this, you will have a much better grasp on getting the basics right that will ultimately lead to long-term success.

Let’s start with posting a Blog After completing a blog post don’t press the publish button without checking this simple SEO PICTURE acronym checklist!

Preview Have you seen your post the same way everyone else is going to see it live? When you preview your post this is the fool proof tool for eradicating any errors you may not have seen from the back end.

Before posting, ask yourself if you have done everything possible to give it that attention that makes it shareable and appealing - which is why you’re writing something in the first place.

Image featured The days of pages of text are over! People like interactive images. What do you need to do with your pictures? To make your images SEO friendly you need to make sure that you ALT text and caption your images so that search engines recognise the value. (Alt text is the ‘alternative text’ used by text browsers and other Web user agents that can’t view images.) Make sure that you resize your photos so that they fit the width of your post space accordingly.

Categories and tags Title tags on the index page are the most important html element to any website. Make sure that your first three words on your title tag include your main keyword search phrase.

Title An effective title is one that is optimised under SEO best practices. It needs to be descriptive but at the same time compelling and to the point. On average, only 20% of viewers read beyond a headline, highlighting the importance of a captivating title!

URL A URL is a web address. But why does an optimised URL impact on your SEO ranking? A complex URL will do nothing to enhance your visibility in search

26 CLUB MIRROR

engines. A clear and concise SEO-Friendly URL should include your target keyword phrase and should reassure your readers that your page will deliver what they are searching for. This is likely to increase your site’s click through rate (CTR), an important metric in demonstrating the relevance of your site. Make sure that every page of your site has one URL; if the page has more than one URL then you have created a duplicate page. Too many duplicate pages will not make you popular with Google and may result in a punishment from Google Panda.

Readable Content This is more commonly known as your body copy.

Which is the body of the page that provides valuable information. You need to make sure that your blog posts are SEO optimised with well-formatted, search-engine friendly content. How do you achieve this? Think about including shorter paragraphs that help the reader cruise through the content. Sub headings which are known as H2 and H3 tags, are also a great way to cut up chunky text or to break the post down. They also allow for search engine spiders to crawl and rank your post.

A good post will also incorporate external and internal links, these links will be useful, related content sources. What is the point in links? An external link is a great way to expand a point without boring your readers with great detail. Internal linking within your own site send signals to search engines as to which pages on your site are the best resources. A great practice to use external links to improve your

relationships within your industry is to organically link out to good domain authority sites so that can earn you links back!

A read more tag is effective to control how much of your entry is visible from your blog’s home and archive pages. Lastly, ensure that you target keyword phrases preferably in the first paragraph. BUT make it sound natural - don’t force it.

Enticing tone and meta descriptions The enticing tone should be carried out throughout your website and blog posts when possible but most importantly in your meta description. What is a meta description? A meta description is the snippet of text that will appear beneath your title in search engine results. Make this relevant and enticing when a user sees this description in search engines and you’re already ticking SEO best practice boxes before a user enters the site!

So, by following the PICTURE SEO checklist you should be well on your way to a good ranking blog and website! Want to learn more? Then get in touch!

CONTACT DETAILS If your website is looking a bit tired and outdated and you’re after a brand spanking new site or, if you want to add more features or just want to discuss how your current site could be updated, please get in touch with Larrytech by email to sales@larrytech.com or call the team on 01892 888011.

<

ASK THE EXPERTS – INSURANCE

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst Here comes the rain... and the ice, snow and gale force winds. How do you protect your business from the elements? AON’s Andy Kitchener, provides his top tips.

A

s we approach the British winter it’s a sensible time of year to consider the ways that you can protect your club from the damage that can be caused by bad weather. It’s also the time to consider what might your insurance cover.

Here are some common issues that are raised with insurers during the winter and some of the sensible steps that you can take now to try to prevent any insurance claims being refused, causing disruption to you and your club.

Slips and trips When clearing outside areas of ice and snow, always ensure that these are cleared fully. As soon as you begin to clear an area it becomes your responsibility.

If you don’t complete the job then you and your club could be vulnerable to negligence claims.

Storm damage It will be a condition of your insurance that your property is well maintained.

Checking flat roofs Your policy may well include specific conditions that are often applied to flat roofs and how often they are checked. Ensure that these checks are done regularly and by a qualified individual.

Keep records It makes sense to keep any maintenance records and invoices of works completed as evidence to assist in any future claims.

Upon discovering damage Take photographs of the damage and provide requested documentation to help validate your

claim and ensure that it is dealt with as quickly as possible.

CONTACT DETAILS If you have any questions about this article contact Andy Kitchener, Regional Client Manager, Aon UK Limited. t. 07714 180 551 e. andrew.kitchener@aon.co.uk.

Care has been taken in compiling the information contained within this article; this has been obtained from sources that Aon UK Limited believes to be reliable. Aon UK Limited does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of the content, including links and the content of any linked site within this article, and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way whatsoever by any person who may rely on it. In any case any recipient shall be entirely responsible for the use to which it puts this article. This article has been compiled using information available to us up to 16 November 2015.

CLUB MIRROR 27

<

Aon Risk Solutions Enterprise | Affinity

Insurance for clubs …don’t just take our word for it.

‘

The cherry on the cake was we saved money

’

Peter Crockett Club Secretary of Chillington Sports & Social Club.

Aon can arrange insurance for social clubs, with cover for your legal liabilities such as public and employer’s liability included as standard.

You will be able to build your club insurance to fit your requirements, by adding further options on, such as property or business interruption.

The price will be based on your club’s own circumstances and requirements, so give us a call to arrange a face to face visit.

‘

’

As Peter says I have no hesitation in recommending Aon.

Club insurance arranged through Aon - contact us to get a quote

0330 333 3887 | aon.co.uk/clubs

Aon UK Limited Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN. Registered No. 210725. VAT Registration No. 480 8401 48.

Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA registration No. 310451. FP.ENT.924.CM 08.15 / TD7088

CLUB AWARDS 2015

Welcome to the Club Awards 2015

The Palace Hotel, Manchester November 26, 2015 > CLUB MIRROR 29

CLUB AWARDS

And the winners are...

Club Mirror is delighted to present the 2015 Club Awards winners and finalists. The night of celebration began with a drinks reception sponsored by Carlsberg UK (complete with The Barclays Premier League Cup courtesy of BT Sport).

Then followed the main event â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the 2015 Club Awards Gala Dinner hosted by John Inverdale. Congratulations to all of our winners, to every finalist and to every club who entered.

> CLUB MIRROR 31

CLUB AWARDS

32 CLUB MIRROR

> CLUB MIRROR 33

CLUB AWARDS

34 CLUB MIRROR

> CLUB MIRROR 35

CLUB AWARDS

Welcome to the 2015 Club Awards Meet the team, the judges, the sponsors, our host, our guest sporting celebrities, the Associations, the finalists and, of course, the winners.

36 CLUB MIRROR

CLUB AWARDS GALA DINNER MENU TO START Ham Hock Terrine with Piccalilli, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Onion Bread and Celery Cream *** MAIN COURSE Rump of Lamb served with Dauphinoise Potatoes, Red Cabbage, Carrots and a Redcurrant Jus *** DESSERT Light Banana Sponge with Warm Ginger Syrup and Cookies *** COFFEE Freshly Brewed Coffee and Petit Fours

Wines accompanying the meal are from Crown Cellars

Booker is the proud provider of tonightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rump of Lamb

> CLUB MIRROR 37

CLUB AWARDS

Roll of Honour Welcome to the 2015 Club Awards COMMUNITY CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: BT Sport • Battersea Labour Club • Boothstown RBL • Chadderton Reform Club • Longton Rugby Club • Mainline Social Club • Nantwich Club • Nunsfield House Social Club • Springhead Liberal Club • Wortley Mens Club CAMRA REAL ALE CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: CAMRA in association with Club Mirror • Albatross RAFA Club • Appleton Thorn Village Hall • Birchanger Sports & Social Club • Blackpool Cricket Club • Cheltenham Motor Club • Darlington Snooker Club • Flixton Conservative Club • Kinver Constitutional Club • Marden Village Club • Marlow RBL Club • Orpington Liberal Club • Poole Ex Servicemens (RBL) Club • Ravenswood Club (RBL) • Rushden Historic Transport Society • The Real Ale Farm • Wortley Mens Club BAR MANAGER/BAR STEWARD OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Marston’s Beer Company • Adderley Green WMC • Bamber Bridge Trades Hall • Boothstown RBL • Clent Club • Dartford WMC • Leeds Golf Club • Nunsfield House Social Club • Sturdee Social and Bowling Club • Wortley Mens Club

CATERING CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Booker • BBC Club • Burton Rugby Club • Cobham Sports & Social Club • Great Doddington Club • Kings Heath Cricket & Sports Club • Littleport Leisure Community Centre • Phoenix Artist Club GOLF CATERING CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Villeroy & Boch • Barton on Sea Golf Club • Dudsbury Golf Club • Gaudet Luce Golf Club • Leeds Golf Club • Lymm Golf Club • Wolstanton Golf Club BUSINESS INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Avensure • Barton Town Cricket Club • Blakelaw & District Social Club • Bournemouth Sports Club • Cheltenham Rugby Club • New Norcross Social Club GREEN CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: The Energy Desk • Adderley Green WMC • Alvaston & Crewton Social Club • Cobham Sports & Social Club • Northern Football Club • St Clements Sports & Social Club • Tiverton Constitutional Club INNOVATIVE CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Club Insure • BBC Club • Gaudet Luce Golf Club • Newcastle Cricket Club • North Biddick Social Club • Phoenix Artist Club • Tiverton Constitutional Club TURNAROUND CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Club Control • Alvaston & Crewton Social Club • Beechtree Social & Welfare Club • Clent Club • Daventry WMC • Harborne Village Social Club • Shirebrook Carter Lane WMC & Institute • Silverdale & District WMC • St Leonards & St Ives Ex-Services Club

38 CLUB MIRROR

MARKETING CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Carlsberg UK • Cheltenham Rugby Club • Dartford WMC • Dudsbury Golf Club • Gaudet Luce Golf Club • Newcastle Cricket Club • Phoenix Artist Club WEBSITE OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Larrytech • www.blackpoolcricket.co.uk • www.littleportleisure.com • www.longtonrugby.co.uk • www.northernfootballclub.co.uk • www.phoenixartistclub.com • www.prentongolfclub.co.uk • www.rblmarlow.co.uk • www.stivesclub.wix.com __________________________________________ SPORTS CATEGORIES Sponsored by BT Sport Supported by ACP titles - Club Mirror, Clubhouse Europe, Sports4Bars, Club Rugby and Sports Club magazine FOOTBALL CLUB OF THE YEAR • Cookley Sports Club • Garforth WMC • Old Bank WMC • Oxford City FC • Somers Sports & Social Club CRICKET CLUB OF THE YEAR • Barnton Cricket Club • Barton Town Cricket Club • Bath Cricket Club • Darlington Cricket Club • Kings Heath Cricket & Sports Club • Newcastle Cricket Club BOWLS CLUB OF THE YEAR • New Milton Bowling Club • Penn Bowling & Social Club • Springhead Liberal Club • Sturdee Social and Bowling Club

GOLF CLUB OF THE YEAR • Barton on Sea Golf Club • Dudsbury Golf Club • Gaudet Luce Golf Club • Leeds Golf Club • Lymm Golf Club • Prenton Golf Club • Wolstanton Golf Club

RACING CLUB OF THE YEAR Supported by: Cask Marque • Caerphilly Social Club • Farsley WMC • Intake Social Club • Mossborough WMC • Rothwell WMC • West End WMC

RUGBY CLUB OF THE YEAR • Burton Rugby Club • Central Lancashire University Rugby Club • Cheltenham Rugby Club • Epping Upper Clapton RFC • Exeter University Rugby Club • Longton Rugby Club • Northern Football Club __________________________________________

ENTERTAINMENT CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Dransfields • Bethnal Green WMC • Chadderton Reform Club • Clent Club • Coxlodge & Gosforth District Social Club • Elton Fold WMC • Great Doddington Club • Phoenix Artist Club • St Kentigern's Irish Social Club

SPORTS CLUB OF THE YEAR Supported by: Alchemy Contract Publishing • BBC Club • Bournemouth Sports Club • Collingham & Linton Sports Association • Cookley Sports Club • Kings Heath Cricket & Sports Club • Littleport Leisure Community Centre SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: AON • Chillington Sports & Social Club • Cobham Sports & Social Club • M&B Sports & Social Club • Somers Sports & Social Club • St Clements Sports & Social Club • Syresham Sports & Social Club • Tipton Sports & Social Club • Willaston Sports and Social Club DARTS CLUB OF THE YEAR Supported by: Club Journal • Barton Town Cricket Club • Electric Social Club • Littleport Leisure Community Centre • Nunsfield House Social Club • St Leonards & St Ives Ex-Services Club • Willaston Sports and Social Club

MEMBERSHIP CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: BII • Electric Social Club • Epping Upper Clapton RFC • Grangemoor WMC • M&B Sports & Social Club • Northern Football Club • Prenton Golf Club • Tipton Sports & Social Club REFURBISHMENT CLUB OF THE YEAR Supported by: CGA Strategy • Brigham & Cowans Social Club • Chorleywood Club • Epping Upper Clapton RFC • Intake Social Club • Lower Hopton WMC • Nantwich Club • Penn Bowling & Social Club • Tipton Sports & Social Club • Willaston Sports and Social Club CHARITY CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Dransfields • Caerphilly Social Club • Grangemoor WMC • Littleport Leisure Community Centre • Mainline Social Club • Oxford City FC • St Kentigern's Irish Social Club • Wolstanton Golf Club

TRADITIONAL CLUB OF THE YEAR Sponsor: CIU • Blakelaw & District Social Club • Brigham & Cowans Social Club • Buttershaw Lane WMC • Chadderton Reform Club • Garforth WMC • Hamsterley & District Social Club • Harborne Village Social Club • Harrowgate Club & Institute • High Howdon Social Club • Hunstanton United Services Club • Locke Park Club & Institute • Lower Hopton WMC • North Biddick Social Club • Nottingham Oddfellows • Pittshill Victory • Poplar Social Club • St Annes Ex-Servicemens Club • Thurmaston Working Mens Progressive Club • West Byfleet Social Club • Wilby WMC COMMITTEE OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Molson Coors • Beechtree Social & Welfare Club • Blakelaw & District Social Club • Cookley Sports Club • Hunstanton United Services Club • Penn Bowling & Social Club • Springhead Liberal Club • Tiverton Constitutional Club • West Byfleet Social Club MANAGER/SECRETARY OF THE YEAR Sponsor: Poppleston Allen • Adderley Green WMC • Blakelaw & District Social Club • Christchurch Conservative Club • Darlington Cricket Club • Daventry WMC • Garforth WMC • Lymm Golf Club • St Kentigern's Irish Social Club • Wilby WMC

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AND THE WINNER IS...

2015 Community Club of the Year Springhead Liberal Club

Congratulations to all 2015 Club Awards winners and finalists 40 CLUB MIRROR

SPONSORED BY

Community Club Springhead Liberal Club Judges’ comments: Springhead Liberal Club is celebrating 113 years as a community hub. “We are at the heart of our community. We are a real family club and everyone looks out for each other and members and their families help out with any work the club needs doing,” says Treasurer Andy Stott.

Sport plays a big part in the club (it has BT Sport, Sky Sports, Racing UK and ESPN) and it recently opened its doors to a local Bowling Club which closed. The club is now being used as a neutral base for club championships. Social media is key in alerting members to activities and big events are recorded and replayed later on the club’s big screen.

BT Sport's John Vincent, far left, presents the opening Award to Springhead Liberal Club with host John Inverdale, far right.

SPONSORED BY

Outstanding Services Paul Walton and Denise Oakley Nunsfield House Social Club

Judges’ comments: Club Mirror’s Outstanding Services Award was presented to Paul and Denise from Nunsfield House Social Club. This hard-won award was in recognition of an outstanding couple who have won Club Stewards of the Year a record four times.

Nunsfield House Social Club offers around 450 different real ales each year from breweries all over the country. Cellarmanship is a matter of pride at the club which holds a number of CAMRA Awards for the quality of real ale served. Their 1,500 members can choose between three permanent ales, two draught ciders and a range of keg beer product, soft and alcoholic drinks. Highquality service and customer satisfaction continue to top their list and the club continuously improves the member experience with refurbishments and upgrades under their auspices.

Marston’s Beer Company's Andrew Kitchen, far left, and John Inverdale present Paul Walton and Denise Oakley from Nunsfield House Social Club with their Special Award.

CLUB MIRROR 41

SPONSORED BY

Bar Manager/Steward Kenny Bailey

JOINT WINNER

Boothstown RBL

Judges’ comments: There are three bars for Club Steward Kenny Bailey to manage in this family-oriented club. “I think if you move with the times and encourage younger people then there’s no reason for clubs not to thrive,” says Kenny. “We have younger members who drink in town and often ring me to make sure they’ve got back in time for last orders.” The club’s second Remembrance Beer Festival weekend in November saw over 700 people attend and 28 cask ales as well as a variety of ciders, perries and lagers. “What beer we had left on the Sunday we sold to some very happy members for £1 a pint,” says Kenny.

Marston’s Beer Company's Andrew Kitchen far left, and John Inverdale present joint winners Kenny Bailey, centre, from Boothstown RBL and Nick Byram, second from left, from Dartford WMC with their awards.

JOINT WINNER

Nick Byram

Dartford Working Men’s Club Judges’ comments: Dartford Working Men’s Club reported a superb year for the club with great attendances at regular beer festivals plus very good weekly bar takings from regular members and CAMRA visitors who can access the club with their CAMRA card. The club’s Nick Byram said: “The pinnacle of the year was being named in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2016, the first time we've been listed in this Real Ale bible. That's a huge accolade and demonstrates just how far we've come in the past six years and will ensure that we get many more people coming in to sample our ales.

Again, we're up to our ceiling limit of 1600 members which is great news.”

42 CLUB MIRROR

CAMRA Real Ale Club

SPONSORED BY CAMRA IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Club Mirror and CAMRA have been scouring the country to find the UK’s finest real ale clubs. Sixteen clubs were invited to the Awards having already undergone exacting mystery judging to become the top 16 Regional Winners.

Only four of them would go through as Super Round Winners. The contestants were…

Albatross RAFA Club Appleton Thorn Village Hall Birchanger Sports & Social Club Blackpool Cricket Club Cheltenham Motor Club Darlington Snooker Club Flixton Conservative Club Kinver Constitutional Club

Marden Village Club Marlow RBL Club Orpington Liberal Club Poole Ex Servicemens (RBL) Club Ravenswood Club (RBL) Rushden Historic Transport Society The Real Ale Farm Wortley Mens Club

And the Super Round Winners are...?

Albatross RAFA Club, Cheltenham Motor Club, Kinver Constitutional Club and Orpington Liberal Club

CAMRA’s Keith Spencer, third from left, congratulates this year’s Super Round Winners.

CLUB MIRROR 43

SPONSORED BY

Catering Club Kings Heath Cricket & Sports Club Judges’ comments: The club appointed a new chef this year and has revived its Diners Club, which previously ran from 1989 to 2006. Food is available seven days a week, ranging from lunches and bar snacks to three-course sit down meals. “We’re particularly proud of our fresh fish, which is delivered straight from Birmingham Market every morning,” says Club Manager Peter Hunt. “We have a Sunday afternoon carvery that has to be pre-booked and we do regular themed events. We recently staged a veterans’ day lunch and we’ve done afternoon tea for 150. Next year also sees our 25th Burns Night supper.”

A jubilant Peter Hunt collects the Award from Booker’s Steve Marston, far left.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS

44 CLUB MIRROR

SPONSORED BY

Golf Catering Club Lymm Golf Club (Up to £1m turnover) Judges’ comments: Lymm Golf Club offers everything from breakfast, sandwiches and snacks to four or five course meals. In January this year the club invested in its catering operation with the introduction of a new till system, Mission. Now, orders can be entered manually, going straight through to the kitchen. “It’s a lot more userfriendly, it’s easier for staff and enables us to keep on top of stock control,” says the club’s Karen Fyfe. Business is up year on year on the events operation with an increased number of weddings, anniversaries and formal dinners. “We are quickly becoming the venue of choice for small to medium size functions in the Lymm area. Birthdays, weddings or indeed any type of event can be accommodated in our modern facilities,” says Karen.

Lymm Golf Club and Dudsbury Golf Club pick up their trophies from Nick Green of Villeroy and Boch, Awards sponsor but also provider of the trophies.

Dudsbury Golf Club (Over £1m turnover) Judges’ comments: This year Dudsbury Golf Club has introduced two new catering concepts – afternoon tea and a Thursday Carvery. “Following on from the continuing success of the Sunday carvery we have now introduced a Thursday lunchtime carvery which has been an instant success,” says General Manager Paul Palmer. “This initiative began in the summer and has proven popular with members and visitors alike with bookings taking place well in advance. It adds to our catering offer which has something for everyone – from snacks to casual dining to a five-star dining experience.” Afternoon Tea is now a fixture, served between 3 and 4pm with an array of freshly baked scones and cakes in the club’s Bentley's Restaurant. “That's another catering option which has been added to the mix,” says Paul.

CLUB MIRROR 45

SPONSORED BY

Business Initiative Barton Town Cricket Club Judges’ comments: Barton Town Cricket Club is affiliated with the ECB (English Cricket Board) and praises it for its help. “Thanks to a grant from the ECB we have spent £1m on the outfield and on the square. We have installed three sets of bay nets for practice and the clubhouse has now tripled in size,” says Communications Manager Oliver Mussett. But how do you draw in members outside the cricket season? You put in dartboards. “The new clubhouse has six dartboards and has become the new centre for darts in Barton. “This has been vital because previously it was barely used outside the cricket season. Now when the cricket stops the darts starts so the club is now functioning during the winter.”

Avensure’s Simon Wallace, far left, presents Barton Town Cricket Club with their Award.

SPONSORED BY

Green Club Cobham Sports & Social Club Judges’ comments: Cobham Sports & Social Club has 2,594 members and a waiting list of 500. The club’s energy usage has increased exponentially with its impressive growth, as Christopher Weight, General Manager, explains; four full time chefs in busy kitchens, and a 4metre HD electronically operated screen in the main room are just a couple of examples.

Outside TV screens, two bars and three function rooms all add to the energy output. In a win-win project, the club had 199 solar panels installed.

Savings in energy bills and the money received from the government scheme has been ploughed back into the club in a most innovative way, being put into a pension scheme for staff.

Dave King, far left, and John Inverdale present Cobham Sports & Social Club with the Award for Green Club of the Year.

46 CLUB MIRROR

SPONSORED BY

Innovative Club JOINT WINNER

BBC Club

Judges’ comments: All retired BBC staff have been targeted with their own newsletter and activities while the complexity of having so many young BBC staff on very short-term contracts means constant planning. “So we've upped our presence on social media and through the BBC's intranet service to highlight the benefits of joining the club. That includes loads of events and initiatives, as well as membership of the 'virtual club' – a series of offers and discounts at shops and restaurants in the area who we've done deals with,” says Business Development Manager Gayner Leach.

Pop-up shops and events generate income, highlighting new products and showcasing new quirky companies.

Joint winners, the BBC Club & Tiverton Constitutional Club accept their prize from Club Insure’s Simon Mabb, third from left.

JOINT WINNER

Tiverton Constitutional Club

Judges’ comments: Tiverton has grown its membership by 25% thanks to its marketing and advertising campaign on Sky Channel 191 and on Freesat channel 400 (an Irish channel). It has extended this activity to the benefit of others in the community – for example helping to promote the Tiverton Trade Association through adverts on the two TV channels. “We also gain considerable press coverage through our support of the local community,” says Treasurer Philip Gibbs. The club has also proved innovative in its work with suppliers. It managed to install a £12k Solar Panel Renewable Energy process for only £4k of the club’s money. The remaining £8k was paid for out of loyalty bonuses. This is saving over a fifth of the electricity bill.

CLUB MIRROR 47

SPONSORED BY

Turnaround Club Clent Community & Social Club Judges’ comments: Despite a long history – the club was founded in 1886 – Clent Community & Social Club was struggling to keep up with contemporary demands. “We have worked hard to turn this tiny club around,” says Dawn Bubb, Stewardess.

“When we first came there was no TV here. Now there are four TVs showing Sky Sports, BT Sport and At the Races. There’s always something on.

And I’ve also successfully introduced entertainment.” Real ale is another source of pride for the club, bringing it to the attention of the locals, and Dawn has applied for a £50k grant to create a sun terrace at the back of the club where members can sit and enjoy the views of the surrounding countryside. “I think if you have good company, a good selection of beers and a place where there’s never any trouble then you’ll thrive,” she says.

Club Control’s Chris McNally, far left, presents representatives of the Clent Club with the Turnaround Club of the Year Award.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS

48 CLUB MIRROR

SPONSORED BY

Marketing Club Gaudet Luce Golf Club Judges’ comments: The club is committed to opening up the game of golf to women and to changing the perception that golf is an expensive sport played by middleaged, middle class white men. One particularly successful marketing initiative was going to the Droitwich Food Festival where they won the Best Stand Award. “This worked extremely well in terms of highlighting ourselves to the general public,” says Alec Fernihough, operations director. “We also work with the local Chamber of Commerce and local companies to encourage women to participate in women only coaching. On average most golf clubs’ female membership accounts for 14 per cent; it’s 23 per cent here.

We’ve introduced a beginner’s programme for women who’ve never played.”

The team from Gaudet Luce Golf Club celebrate winning the accolade Marketing Club of the Year.

SPONSORED BY

Website of the Year www.blackpoolcricketclub.co.uk Judges’ comments: Blackpool Cricket Club’s website is easy to navigate and provides a clear shop window for the club’s offering – from its six Real Ales and Guest Ciders to its ‘fantastic food at great prices on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays’.

Events are clearly flagged and sports screenings signposted. Minimalist text is well written and the clubs many attributes explained, including the use of eye-catching images. Directions to the club are tailored to the users location and Facebook and twitter are just a click away, as are the club sponsors on the home page. The welcoming website encourages interaction and the crisp, clean design appealed to judges.

Larrytech MD Larry Hardcastle (left) presents Blackpool Cricket Club with the 2015 Website of the Year Award.

CLUB MIRROR 49

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Sports Categories Football Clubs of the Year Oxford City FC Somers Sports & Social Club Cricket Club of the Year Newcastle Cricket Club Bowls Club of the Year Penn Bowling & Social Club Golf Clubs of the Year Leeds Golf Club Barton on Sea Golf Club Dudsbury Golf Club Rugby Clubs of the Year Burton Rugby Club Cheltenham Rugby Club

Congratulations to all 2015 Club Awards winners and finalists 50 CLUB MIRROR

SPONSORED BY

Football Club JOINT WINNER

Oxford City FC

Judges’ comments: Oxford City FC is a charity first and a club second. Its key aim is to provide top-class coaching and facilities for as many players as possible.

It fields 50 teams a week for a variety of youth and disability levels and holds the FA's top accolade for community. A huge amount of work goes into working with various organisations, private companies and the local council in order to secure funding for the facilities. It recently opened a £2million indoor football arena which has given more opportunities to able bodied and disabled players. It has allowed the club to open their own futsal academy which gives young players the chance to improve their skills in the Brazilian indoor version of the game.

Guest stars Robbie Savage and Darren Fletcher wished contestants a great night at the Awards from the BT Sport studio.

Oxford City FC and Somers Sports & Social Club were joint winners in the newly formatted Football Club of the Year.

James Stibbs, far left, from the Sport & Recreation Alliance presents the Award.

JOINT WINNER

Somers Sports & Social Club

Judges’ comments: Somers’ Football Team – Grange Athletic – has had a record-breaking season. “The 2014/15 season was our 21st consecutive season in the top division, the Premier League,” says Paul Hill, chairman and managing director. “We won the title and in doing so became the first team ever in the Kidderminster League to win every game since the league was established in 1894.” The club also won the Leagues Blue Riband Cup Competition, the Senior Cup and also took the honours for winning this the most times in the history of the competition. “We completed a treble by winning the prestigious Kidderminster Hospital Cup which is open to all sides from other Leagues, and beat the Bromsgrove and District Premier League Champions VBG Fairfield in the final,” says Paul.

CLUB MIRROR 51

SPONSORED BY

Cricket Club Newcastle Cricket Club Judges’ comments: Newcastle Cricket Club successfully applied for a £150k grant for cricket nets so that people can train outside the field. “This was opened in July by the English Physical Disability Cricket Team who played a match,” says Olwyn Hocking, Co-chair and Secretary. “The nets increase the opportunity for people to play cricket as our ethos is to expand participation in cricket. There are three training lanes so 20 people can play at the same time.” This generated considerable press coverage including regional TV. The club also secured a £90k grant to modernise the first floor pavilion which was 50 years old and had an inefficient gas boiler. In addition to broadening out the cricket offering, the club is active in the community and has developed the Jesmond walks project, encouraging people to up their fitness levels.

James Stibbs (left) presents the coveted Award to Newcastle Cricket Club.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS

52 CLUB MIRROR

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Bowls Club Penn Bowling & Social Club Judges’ comments: The club has invested in the quality of its 15 bowling greens which has helped attract the regional finals to the club. “This year we've also been able to attract some county matches and we've invested in new floodlighting and spectator seating,” says Roger Baker, Treasurer. “We have some very successful bowls teams and they ensure we have a very high profile locally in the press. But we’ve also marketed ourselves as a community-based club and allow teams and organisations to use our facilities.” Local charities, in particular, are encouraged to use the facilities for free. The function room has been upgraded at a cost of around £20k and £30k has been spent on improving the members’ lounge.

Club Mirror’s Jon Hardy, far left, presents the Award to a delighted Penn Bowling & Social Club.

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Golf Club Leeds Golf Club (Up to £1m turnover) Judges’ comments: Membership at Leeds Golf Club has grown by 10% this year. There are no joining fees and subscriptions can be paid over a 10-month period. The club is home to the oldest professional Golf Tournament, the Leeds Cup, and it has reciprocal agreements with other clubs to offer tee times to members at a discounted rate.

Members and visitors are able to book tee times online and, to encourage golfers in the colder months, the club has introduced a Winter Package which comprises a round of golf plus a Fish and Chips meal for £20. This year has seen a new in-house caterer installed, providing meals seven days a week as well as function catering.

A delighted Leeds Golf Club collect their trophy from John Inverdale.

CLUB MIRROR 53

SPONSORED BY

Golf Club JOINT WINNER

Barton on Sea Golf Club (Over £1m turnover)

Judges’ comments: Founded in 1897, membership has grown this year by 10 per cent. Marketing initiatives have included ‘member get member’, where those introducing a new member receive money off their bar tab or a reduction on their subscription. “We’ve also attended community fairs to show the general public that we’re accessible,” says Secretary Sean Trussel. “We offered free tuition to juniors at some of these fairs and have introduced open days.” The club has spent £50k on renovating its course (27 holes) and has modernised and revamped four holes, as well as investing in two new green mowers. Changing rooms have been renovated. “People want to join as they can see that we’re investing,” says Sean.

Bob Williams of GCMA presents the winners of Golf Club of the Year with their trophies.

JOINT WINNER

Dudsbury Golf Club (Over £1m turnover)

Judges’ comments: Membership has increased at the club, notably in the 18-24 bracket. “This is a really hard demographic to engage,” says General Manager Paul Palmer. “But we have great offers for this age group with the result that the club remains multi-generational with young players coming up through the ranks.” The website is constantly updated and has become a real driver of business given that we have so many events taking place over any given period. “We also send out a newsletter to members and to those who have registered their emails with us which works really well,” says Paul. The club’s annual Open Charity tournament was a great success this year and raised funds to purchase a defibrillator for use at the course and in the local area. This was in conjunction with the Bernard Gallacher Defibrillator campaign.

54 CLUB MIRROR

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Rugby Club Burton Rugby Club (From the North) Judges’ comments: Founded in 1870 Burton Rugby Club is the 20th oldest rugby club in the world. “We have one of the biggest junior set-ups,” says the club’s Philip Foster. “The club runs junior rugby teams from the age of five up to the age of 19. We have a presence in schools and a lot of interschools matches and competitions are staged at the club so we do catch them young. We also have rugby tours and children’s parties.” The club also promotes itself through food fairs and through the Chamber of Commerce. “Facebook and Twitter are big as well and we have plenty of volunteers who make sure everything we’re doing is covered on there,” says Philip.

Rugby legend Austin Healy read out the nominations for the 2015 Rugby Club of the Year.

Club Rugby’s Sean Ferris, far left, presents the Award to joint winners Burton Rugby Club and Cheltenham Rugby Club.

Cheltenham Rugby Club (From the South) Judges’ comments: Cheltenham Rugby Club has celebrated its 125th anniversary. “The high point of our celebrations was the visit of the New Zealand Rugby Union President Ian MacRae,” says David Evans, Administrative Chairman. “We were also visited by All-Black legend Sean Fitzpatrick, World Cup winner Will Greenwood and leading referee Chris Whyte.” During the World Cup Tonga and Argentina used the clubhouse as a base and the Webb Ellis Cup was brought to the club on July 16 as it toured the country. More than 500 people had their picture taken with it. “At the same time we inaugurated a new pitch so we now have 19 acres of pitches at Newland, and we have launched a new appeal to raise £50,000 for new changing rooms as the club continues to expand – notably in women’s rugby,” says David.

CLUB MIRROR 55

2016 CLUB AWARDS

OPEN FOR ENTRIES

Enter the 2016 Club Awards.

Email info@clubmirror.com with your club details or use the registration hotline below.

REGISTRATION HOTLINE 01753 272022

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Sports Club Cookley Sports Club Judges’ comments: Founded in 1972, the club has two cricket fields, two football pitches, tennis courts, multi-use games area and a bowling green. “We have 14 football teams including two women’s teams and three youth sides,” says Dean Cox, Steward. “I’m proud of the way that all the various sports sections in the club all work together. “The club has both BT Sports and Sky Sports and secured a grant of £400,000 from the Lottery to build new premises as well as a £20,000 loan from a brewer which was paid back over a four-year period. The advent of women’s football teams playing at the club demanded that new changing rooms should be built. “We’ve also completed a new decking area where people can sit outside and enjoy a drink, and we’ve just bought our own marquee,” says Dean.

Sean Ferris, far left, presents the Sports Club of the Year Award to a delighted Cookley Sports Club.

Congratulations to all our entrants, finalists and winners.

CLUB MIRROR 57

SPONSORED BY

Sports & Social Club Cobham Sports & Social Club (From the South) Judges’ comments: Cobham Sports & Social Club has a waiting list of 500 and has to turn down around 30 applications each a week. This has been a happy challenge, with the club investing in more space to comfortably accommodate its 2,600 members. Improvements to sporting activities include spending £4.5k on the football pitch (60 tons of top dressing fertiliser, weed killer and seeding) and the nine-hole golf course has been worked on to bring it up to USA Golf Association standards. For those who enjoy watching sport as much as playing it, a four-metre High Definition electronically operated screen has been installed, and an outdoor area with sliding screens (in case of bad weather) developed.

Suzanne Kenney, far left, presents from the South, Cobham Sports & Social and from the North, Willaston Sports & Social with their accolade.

Willaston Sports & Social Club (From the North) Judges’ comments: Willaston Sports and Social Club was founded just after World War Two in a tin hut that had been used by Polish airmen during the war. By 1952 the founders had enough money to build some premises. And now, 63 years later, the investment continues. “We have refurbished the main lounge and function room and the effect has been spectacular,” says Lesley Burrows, Steward. “ The function room is now ultra modern and is booked up until December. We now cater for the whole family.” The club is particularly proud to be a community club. “We have parents who come to the club with their children after picking them up from school and when we have single mothers coming into the club everybody rallies round to help them out,” says Lesley. The club boasts outdoor play areas with a bouncy castle, slide and swings, while the games room is rammed with sports memorabilia.

58 CLUB MIRROR

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Darts Club Nunsfield House Social Club Judges’ comments: This year the judges recognised the inception of a thriving new darts operation from a little-used club room. “A room has been completely gutted and transformed into what is now a very busy darts room,” explains the club’s Paul Walton.

“We’ve formed two ‘in-house’ men’s darts leagues who play every Tuesday. The ladies meet and play in a local league every Wednesday and have achieved some success, having come runners up in the Cup and League at the first attempt.” The room is used for practice every night of the week other than league nights. A steady increase in trade has been achieved with the formation of these leagues and has attracted new membership applications.

Club Journal’s Justin O'Regan, far left, presents Darts Club of the Year to Nunsfield House Social Club.

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Racing Club Intake Social Club Judges’ comments: Racing has become an important part of activities and entertainment at Intake Social Club, appealing to members of all genders and ages. “Our club has been known as an old man’s club and we think we have successfully fought against this – bringing in more women and attracting younger people by encouraging more snooker, pool and darts teams.

Racing activities are an important part of this,” says Tom Forester, Secretary. As a snapshot, Intake Social Club recently took 51 members to a well-attended CIU Raceday at Wetherby Racecourse, as part of its racing programme.

“We’ve also started a section for 16-year-olds and hope to revive the tradition of parents bringing their children along on their 18th birthday,” says Tom. “We are a real family club and everyone looks out for each other.”

Cask Marque’s Annabel Smith, far left, presents the Award to Intake Social Club.

CLUB MIRROR 59

SPONSORED BY

Entertainment Club Coxlodge & Gosforth District Social Club (From the North) Judges’ comments: Coxlodge & Gosforth Social Club has 3,200 members to keep entertained. The club has both BT Sport and Sky Sports for its sport-hungry membership and has four bars and a function room which cater for a broad variety of entertainment. Its reputation reaches far afield with some guests driving over 100 miles to get there. Ask Secretary John Coppinger what he’s proudest of and he’ll tell you it’s looking after life members. “This year we took 350 to the town of Seahouses on the Northumberland coast. They each got two meals, Sunday lunch and high tea, £10 to spend and 15 pint tokens to spend back at the club where we had entertainment laid on. They also receive 25 pint tokens at Christmas.”

Joint winners from the North, Coxlodge & Gosforth District Social Club and from the South, Phoenix Artist Club receive their Award from Dransfields’ Chris Haley (far left).

Phoenix Artist Club (From the South) Judges’ comments: The Phoenix Artist Club has invested £40,000 on new equipment this year including two new lighting rigs and a new sound system. It invested £10k on new furniture. “We have regular Thursday open mic evenings with a West End musical director on the piano and students come and do audition pieces – Mitch Miller from The Voice was discovered here,” says Managing Director Ken Wright. “We have a comedy club – we ran a fiveday event recently – and we work with Carousel Music Co-op who bring in new musicians from the North of England and Scandinavia.” Twice a month the club has speed quizzing using smartphones. The club has spent a great deal of effort modernising the club with fibre optics, WiFi and LED lighting. “We encourage interaction through social media updates. All of this has succeeded in bringing in new members,” says Ken.

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SPONSORED BY

Membership Club Northern Football Club Judges’ comments: Northern Football Club now has 1700 members, and has grown by over 200 members this year.

“It's been a great year and another leap forward in terms of membership and turnover which have both increased,” says David Giles, General Manager. “We've ploughed £125,000 back into the club with a new fence around the 1st XV pitch, new goalposts, tarmac for the overflow car park area, a new metal staircase at the front of the club with storage underneath for training equipment, new carpets through the club, new outside furniture and new furniture upstairs so we can get around 86 people in on a food night.”

The weekly food nights – especially pie night – are a major source of income for the club with each night doubling the income over the bar.

BII’s Chief Executive Tim Hulme (far left) presents the trophy to the team from Northern Football Club.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS

CLUB MIRROR 61

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Refurbishment Club Chorleywood Club Judges’ comments: When Chorleywood Club decided it needed a new clubhouse to secure its future, it decided to sell club land to developers. In return, the developers would rebuild the clubhouse within a few metres of its original position. Not only was the clubhouse rebuilt to the value of £1.3m, but the club was given a cash payment as well. A Grand Opening in August saw 100 new members join within a six-week period. “We’re extremely pleased with the new club and are delighted that it has attracted so many new members as well as being so popular with our existing members,” says Club Secretary Paul Spalding. “Everyone that comes in here for the first time is impressed with the look and feel of the place with the result that they can't wait to sign up.”

Ashley Cairns from CGA Strategy, far left, presents the Refurbishment Club of the Year to the Chorleywood Club.

SPONSORED BY

Charity Club Grangemoor WMC Judges’ comments: “Membership is going up,” says Mandi Edwards, Club Secretary. “We have had 160 brand new members this year.” The club’s refurbishment to the tune of £35k has helped spread the word, and this increased membership also means increased opportunities to raise funds for charity. The club raised £6,000 for Help for Heroes in 2015. “And we’re incredibly proud of club member Stephen Sutton, who died last year at 19 and has now raised £5 million for charity,” says Mandi. “Stephen had his 16th and 18th birthday parties at the club and we helped him realise several of the 40 items on his “bucket list” as well as helping him to his initial target of £10,000. These included a fancy dress party, a marathon pool tournament and a quiz night.”

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Grangemoor WMC win the title of Charity Club of the Year and receive their Award from Dransfields’ Chris Haley (far left).

SPONSORED BY

Traditional Club JOINT WINNER

Judges’ comments:

Blakelaw & District Social Club

Blakelaw & District Social Club, now in its 46th year, has 1,000 members. “Membership is going up every year. The whole of the bar has been refurbished and we’ve bought another two houses making a total of seven,” says Brian Allen, Vice-Chairman. “Rents have been frozen – in fact, we’ve never increased the rent on any of them -- so they remain as affordable houses for local people.” Asked what he’s most proud of and Brian says: “We are proudest of the way that our members love the club and go out of their way to support their Committee and their club…

We also put a lot back into the community, sponsoring football teams and raising money for charities.” The club plans to refurbish the downstairs lounge in January.

CIU President George Dawson CMD presents the Traditional Club of the Year to joint winners Blakelaw & District Social Club and Garforth WMC.

JOINT WINNER

Garforth WMC

Judges’ comments: Garforth WMC has 1,400 members. “We've continued to do all the traditional things that you'd expect of a CIU club – good bar, live entertainment, darts, snooker, dominoes, bingo, etc. We're also trying to move with the times and make the club fit for the 21st Century and attract younger members,” says Keith Varley, Secretary. Garforth Villa FC is now using the club as its base, and the club’s modern look means that private functions are very popular with good forward bookings. Wednesday jamming sessions have proved an overwhelming success, with plenty of coverage in the local press, and the club has hosted the Garforth Arts Festival for the fourth year. “We see ourselves as a community hub with loads of other stuff going on that is not necessarily organised by the club itself,” says Keith.

CLUB MIRROR 63

SPONSORED BY

Committee Club JOINT WINNER

Judges’ comments:

Tiverton Constitutional Club

Tiverton Constitutional Club’s committee has seen a 25% growth in membership through a marketing and advertising campaign on Sky Channel 191 and FreeSat channel 400 (an Irish channel). The club supports the community and gains considerable press coverage for its efforts. This year the committee used supplier loyalty points to secure £8k - worth of funding towards solar energy, part of a healthy working relationship which Treasurer Philip Gibbs sees as key for clubs. “You should regard your wholesale trade partner as members of your extended committee,” he says. “Clubs should also regard bodies like BII as part of their extended committee.”

Paul Manchin-Davis, far left, presents Tiverton Constitutional Club and West Byfleet Social Club as the joint winners of the Committee of the Year Award.

JOINT WINNER

West Byfleet Social Club

Judges’ comments: When Ian Geldard and his partner Stella arrived at the club as Steward and Stewardess they were faced with a club in substantial debt.

(The couple had run their own pub in Yorkshire for six years.) Now, with the help of a business-focused committee, West Byfleet Social Club is thriving. “The new committee included Secretary Dave Cunningham, Head of Training for Barclays Bank, his wife Carrie (winner of the CIU Education prize last year), President Shane Burrows, a former Police Inspector, and Treasurer Tim Wright, Managing Director of a firm of City accountants,” says Ian. The committee holds regular brainstorming sessions away from the regular committee meetings and identified the need to attract women and younger people as the key element to the club’s long-term future. Since then £70k has been spent on smartening the building and making it more female friendly.

64 CLUB MIRROR

SPONSORED BY

Special Award John Pyatt

Adderley Green WMC Judges’ comments: John Pyatt has been an integral part of Adderley Green WMC for 41 years. When he first took the helm the club was in debt to the tune of £26k.

He turned the club around from a loss-making operation to a profit-making club, all of the profits being ploughed back into the club. Under his auspices the club has witnessed the building of a lounge and a games room amongst many other improvements. This year saw a renegotiated deal with the brewery, an energysaving bar cooling system and the introduction of an over 40s club. When John retires in February 2016, he leaves behind him an amazing legacy and a healthy club bank balance of £1⁄2m.

Sean ferris, far left, and John Inverdale present John Pyatt with his Special Award.

SPONSORED BY

Manager/Secretary Kevin Fitzpatrick

St. Kentigern’s Irish Social Club Judges’ comments: St Kentigern’s Irish and Social Club is a Catholic Church Club, “but we are open to all people of goodwill,” explains Managing Director Kevin Fitzpatrick. Membership continues to grow alongside a busy entertainment programme, promoted through the club’s website, Twitter and Facebook as well as the local press. Kevin oversees all aspects of the club and leads a committed team of 12 staff. “We continue to be proudest of our charity events and to be a multiaward winning club,” says Kevin. “I’m also very proud of my beer. It’s vital that you keep the product right and clean your lines.” This year has also seen the club stage a lot of weddings: “We offer them a great package with the opportunity for a lot of personal touches,” he says.

Steve Burnett, far left, from Poppleston Allen presents Kevin Fitzpatrick with his Manager/Secretary of the Year Award.

CLUB MIRROR 65

SPONSORED BY

King of Clubs St Kentigern’s Irish Social Club

Sean Ferris and BT Sports' John Vincent, second from left, present Kevin Fitzpatrick and St Kentigern's Irish Social Club with their accolade and prize as 2015 King of Clubs.

Judges’ comments: St Kentigern’s Irish Social Club is the 2015 King of Clubs. The club continues to prove its commitment to members, supporting the local community and ensuring that everyone has fun as they do so. Its latest venture this year has been putting on boxing tournaments. This has led to another charity venture after one of the teenage boxers took his own life; the club has been helping his family. “We also had a big charity golf weekend coinciding with the Ryder Cup. We had 17 teams take part,” says Kevin. The club also supports a Gaelic Football team, three soccer teams and regularly brings big show bands over from Ireland. “It’s the basis of our fundraising: I put on the music and go halves with the band and we can usually sell 800 tickets and fill the concert room,” he says.

Congratulations to a worthy winner of the 2015 King of Clubs!

66 CLUB MIRROR

AND THE WINNER IS...

2015 King of Clubs St Kentigernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Irish Social Club

Congratulations to all 2015 Club Awards winners and finalists CLUB MIRROR 67

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