Salford Lads Club secures funding, averting closure

An inner-city youth club, which gained global recognition as a tourist destination following its appearance on the inside sleeve of a Smiths album, has been saved from closure. Salford Lads Club, established in 1904, has now received the final donation required to exceed its £250,000 survival target. The club, located in Ordsall, launched a fundraising appeal last month and has since received £30,000 from the energy firm Cadent. Hundreds of individuals have contributed, including former Smiths frontman Morrissey, who donated £50,000. In November, the club, situated on Coronation Street, had warned that it might be forced to shut down without urgent financial assistance. An overjoyed trustee, Leslie Holmes, informed BBC Radio Manchester: “It is fantastic we have been trying to get this funding for quite a while – to reach the target is amazing.” He noted that, in addition to high-profile donors such as Morrissey and Salford City Council, which contributed £100,000, local residents were also eager to preserve the club. “I’ve had people giving me donations in the street – even in the supermarket, people stop me and ask what is happening,” he said. Visitors from Santiago in Chile, Reykjavik in Iceland, and Busan in South Korea have all made recent donations. “I don’t think James and William Grimble Groves, who built the club in 1903, could ever have imagined a time when Salford Lads’ Club would be valued by people from almost every country in the world,” Mr. Holmes stated. He further added: “We are creating a legacy fund and reaching our target gives us a platform for longer term fundraising.” Kevin Hegarty from Cadent expressed that it was “wonderful” to be among “illustrious” donors supporting such an “iconic” part of Salford. He explained that the company had agreed to the funding to establish one of its “centres of warmth” at the venue, where people could receive advice and support for managing their fuel bills. The club has become a significant tourist attraction due to its connection with The Smiths. In an interview with the Guardian, photographer Stephen Wright described the 1986 image of the band as “one posed shot on an incredibly dark day in Salford” which had “continued to pleasantly haunt me.” Music fans and musicians, including Noel Gallagher, who donated a guitar for auction, have rallied in support of the club. Salford-born musician Graham Nash, whose band The Hollies performed a gig at the club in their early days, contributed £10,000. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.