Founded in 1924, Merthyr Tydfil Labour Club – known locally as ‘The Club of Love’ – is positively flourishing a century later with trade boosted by the recent refurbishment of its Concert Hall
Located just outside the town centre, Merthyr Tydfil Labour Club is housed in one of the oldest buildings in the area - The Old Court.
The main building that stands today was built in 1717, but there is evidence that there was a building on the site as far back as the 12th Century and that it actually served as the Court of the Welsh Prince, Ifor Bach.
The club has its own illustrious chapter to add to the existing rich history of the site, having been founded in 1924, and continues to be a hub of the local community as it celebrates its centenary this year.
But step inside the listed building and you are left in no doubt that this is very much a 21st Century hospitality venue with a recent £100,000 state-of-the-art refurbishment of the Concert Hall bringing it bang up to date. Opening in November of last year, the new-look Concert Hall has proven to be a huge boost to the club’s bottom line.
“We are so pleased with our new Concert Hall,” says Club Secretary Marnie Bollard.
“The investment has certainly paid dividends because our turnover has gone up massively since the work was completed.
“What happened was we applied for and received a grant from a Welsh Government backed organisation called Creative Wales which supports venues which put on live music and cultural events.
“We also received funding from our local council as part of a social enterprise scheme - the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).
“So, in the end we received £35,000 from Creative Wales and £20,000 from the Council to go towards the project which cost £106,000 in total.
“We are absolutely delighted with the result as the whole room has been transformed with a new PA system, a new lighting system and a complete refurbishment, making it a stunning environment for any event.
“We even have eight ‘hidden’ darts boards which come out of the wall when we are running one of our regular big darts tournaments, all with LED lighting.
“It took a lot of hard work to secure the funding but we had some great advice from Business Wales who helped us to look at what support might be available.
“A lot of pubs and clubs in Wales have closed since the pandemic and we wanted to make sure that we could put ourselves in the best position to secure the future of the club.
“It has really paid off and the Council is absolutely delighted with the investment because we’ve created more jobs in the local area, going from having around 15 staff members to 25.
“That level of staff is needed because of all the activity going on at the club with many different types of events going on throughout the year.”
As you might expect, the 300-capacity Concert Hall is in huge demand for private functions, providing valuable revenue for the club.
“We don’t charge for the hire of the room but we obviously make our money from sales over the bar,” says Marnie.
“The feedback we’ve received from people who’ve held events such as wedding receptions or birthdays has been really positive and everyone has commented on how beautiful the venue is.
“We also run our own events for the members with regular live entertainment.
“Recently, back in March, we had a fantastic ‘Super Saturday’ which is the final day of the Six Nations rugby championship with all six teams in action, including Wales v Italy.
“We booked three really good bands to play at the club on the same day and result was a really busy day and night for the club.
“For a normal Six Nations day, we would normally take around £6,000 but with everyone watching the game on our TV screens and then staying in the club to enjoy the live music later on, we more than doubled our turnover to £14,500.
”Much of the current success of the club can be attributed to the venue attracting people of all ages through its doors.
“We’ve worked really hard to ensure that everyone is made welcome,” says Marnie.
“There can still be a bit of reluctance on the part of younger people to come into a social club because they seem to think that it’s a place for the older generation.
“But we’ve managed to break through that barrier and the younger generation are coming to the club in great numbers, firstly as guests and then when they see what we have to offer, they want to join.
“At the same time, you also want to keep the other age groups happy and that’s what we’ve done with a good balance of activities ¬– like bingo, snooker, pool , darts and live sport on the big screens.
“The result is that we are positively thriving throughout the week, not just at weekends.”Part of the perception shift results from the club branding itself as ‘The Club of Love’ with that nickname featuring on an eye-catching, graffiti-style mural on the exterior of the building.
“The new nickname has really caught people’s imagination and made us a bit more contemporary,” says Marnie.
“We’ve used ‘The Club of Love’ on social media and it’s something which has helped increase our profile amongst the 18 to early twenties crowd.
“Many of the them still live at home but want to go out and socialise with their friends and are coming to us where it’s a great, safe environment but with a very well-priced bar.
“We make sure that we keep up with all the latest drinks trends as well as offering the traditional brands.
“We enjoy a really good relationship with our supplier, Molson Coors, and our big sellers at the bar in terms of our draught offering are Madri, Carling, Guinness and Thatchers Fusion.
“Keeping up on current trends means you are catering for an influx of new people but we’re also there for all the other generations with our oldest members in their 90s. We aim to have something for everyone.”
That is also the case when it comes to the club’s live entertainment offering with a mix of bands, singers and tribute acts performing regularly in the Concert Hall and Downstairs Lounge.
“We are actually finding that people are coming from quite far afield for many of our most popular entertainment acts,” says Marnie.
“Particularly for the bigger tribute bands – like Tom Jones, Freddie Mercury, Elvis, Whitney Houston and Abba – which people love.
“We keep our ticket prices down to a reasonable level so members and guests are getting a good night out and it’s not costing them an arm and a leg.
“It’s a win-win, as the club’s wet sales go through the roof when we have live performers, whether that’s tribute acts or covers bands.”
The club is also well known as a cultural hub with film screenings, comedy nights and Open Mic events staged regularly.
In February, the club welcomed the director and several actors from the cult 1990s movie Twin Town for a screening of the film followed by an onstage Q&A session.
Marnie has been the Secretary for the past two years but has been with the club for 30 years alongside her partner Matthew Curtis who is the Club Steward.
“We used to be the Steward and Stewardess but I took over the role of Secretary after my predecessor had a nasty fall and had to stand down while Matthew has continued as Steward,” explains Marnie.
“Both Matthew and I absolutely love the club so we are so delighted that all the hard work is paying off and that the club is flourishing.”
The club has recently put in a further bid for SPF funding to update its 125-capacity Lounge which also hosts live events.
“We’re very hopeful of the bid being approved,” says Marnie.
“Upgrading the facilities will undoubtedly help us to create more employment opportunities for local people as it will bring more people to the club.
"There’s a great buzz around the club and it’s just a great place to be."
It certainly appears to be a real labour of love for those driving Merthyr Tydfil Labour Club ever onwards!
