As it celebrates its 125th Anniversary, The Oatlands in Harrogate, North Yorkshire is going from strength to strength with its 1,100-plus members enjoying a wide range of activities
Established in 1899, the Oatlands Mount Club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, will be marking its 125th anniversary later this year and continues to be a much-loved and extremely busy venue at the heart of its local community. With over 1,100 members ranging from the age of 18 to 80 and a busy schedule of activities and events taking place seven days a week, the club—known simply as 'The Oatlands' to locals—is as relevant as ever and looking to the future with confidence.
"We are always looking at ways to improve things for our members," says Club Secretary Lucy Hague.
"As a club, we want to modernize or 'futureproof' ourselves and ensure we are becoming more sustainable with the changing times. As a result, we have recently invested in solar panels, the refurbishment of our Snooker Room, new toilets, and next year we will be having a complete redesign of the Bar using a company whose stainless-steel product is made using 80 percent recycled content."
Located in the Oatlands area in the south of Harrogate, the club benefits from a very loyal membership base but is also intent on bringing new members into the fold—hence the large banners outside the club which aim to coax in passers-by.
"Everything is going so well at the moment in terms of welcoming people of all ages into the club," says Lucy. "We've got so many life members, as well as families and younger people at the club so we have a really great mix of generations who are all happy to socialize together, something which doesn't happen that often in pubs."
"As a Committee, we feel it's really important to listen to our members so you're making a real effort to cater to everyone's tastes and interests and we have a feedback box where members can talk about what they want to see happening or suggest events and activities. Our philosophy is to try new things out and see if they work.
"For example, the other month we booked a Rihanna/Beyoncé tribute act and I was perhaps a bit worried that older members might not be that familiar with that sort of music, but it turned out to be a really good event which lots of people of all ages really enjoyed. It did bring in a younger crowd so I think it proves that it's a great idea to have a real mix of entertainment that has a wide appeal.
"Someone else suggested we get an Elvis tribute act into the club as we've not had one before, so that is going to happen in October and members are really looking forward to that. We also have tributes to George Michael, Pink, and Elton John coming up later in the year."
"We also have regular performances by live bands and singers, as well as children's events at Halloween and Christmas, and one-off events such as the recent visit to the club by a medium." And naturally, as you'd expect, the club will be making a lot of noise to mark their remarkable milestone later this year.
"We'll actually be celebrating the 125-year anniversary this November and we are celebrating by having a weekend of entertainment on November 1/2," says Lucy. "We are going to have live bands and comedians, special discounts and competitions and we will be delving into the past history of the club."
As well as live entertainment, the Concert Room is a hive of activity with the club eager to ensure that the large space is used as much as possible. "It's important to make the most of our large Concert Room and, as well as our own events, we hire it out to local groups and clubs," says Lucy.
"So there's a French group, a local business network, a dance group, a ukulele orchestra, plus Harrogate College use our stage for their theatre productions. It's really a case of: 'Okay, general trade is doing well, but how can we get more revenue coming into the club?' That means things like private functions—wedding receptions, birthday parties, anniversaries and wakes—which bring additional trade to the club."
"Things are going well and we want to ensure that we stay up to date and improve the efficiency of how we run things. For example, the new Bar which is being put in next year. The current one is actually fine and does the job but we have had a few comments from members.
"Like the fact that they can't see all the products on offer and that there's a bit of a bottleneck with staff members due to the current design. So while we've got the money, we feel strongly that these are the things that we should be investing in. It's important to get a quality job done which will last us for another 100 years and will help us serve drinks more efficiently and show the large range of different spirits and drinks we offer."
While very proud of their heritage stretching back to Victorian times, the club continues to evolve as a venue. "We want to welcome everyone," says Lucy.
"That's why we've steered away from our original name of Oatland Mount Working Men's Club. The club was rebranded as 'The Oatlands' a few years back on the suggestion of one of our current Committee Members—Brian Rhodes. That has been a very positive thing as it removes a potential barrier to people coming into the club and reflects the diversity in our membership with women and families such an important part of the club. We want to champion that diversity and say: 'Come in, there's something for everybody!'
"Once they do come in, they can see that it's a friendly, safe venue with loads of fun things happening; that our bar prices are extremely reasonable compared to pubs in Harrogate and that it only costs £10 a year to become a member."
Charity is another important aspect of life at the club with regular events and fundraisers taking place.
"We support a range of local charities, having raised over £600 for the St Michael's Hospice at our Cheltenham Raceday. We supported food banks over the Christmas period and donate money to Follifoot Park Disabled Riders and Vision Support Harrogate," says Lucy.
"We'll also be having a Royal Ascot Day on June 22 where we'll be raising money for St Michael's Hospice, with Heineken and Carlsberg both helping to support the event. We do this every year—normally on Ladies Day, which is the Thursday of Royal Ascot—but this year England are playing Denmark in the Euros on that day at 5pm and people will be coming into the club to watch the game, so our Raceday has been moved to the Saturday of Royal Ascot.
"It's great to do something for St Michael's which is just down the road from the club and we know a lot of people who have personally been involved with the fantastic work they do at the hospice.
"In fact, most of the charities we get involved with come from a personal involvement with someone at the club. One of our members suffered a really bad accident and lost the use of his legs and that led to a fundraiser for the Air Ambulance. A grandparent of one of our members lost their vision and was helped by Vision Care Harrogate so that was another good cause we wanted to raise funds for."
The club sponsors a local football side—Harlow Hill FC—and that has been another positive move with the footballers coming into the club after their matches, along with their supporters and the opposition. The Oatlands is also renowned for its cask ale offering and has just been named the 'Club of the Year' by the Harrogate & Ripon Branch of the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) for the second successive year, as well as being featured in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide.
"We're absolutely delighted to be recognized by CAMRA and cask ale is a huge thing for the club," says Lucy. "The awards are testament to the expert way our beers are kept and served by the bar team which is headed up by Manager Kate Shutt."
With so many reasons for members to visit the club on any given day, Lucy is looking forward to a busy summer at the club.
"We're going to make the most of the Euros, Wimbledon and the Olympics and promote it under a 'Summer of Sport' banner with some special cocktails around the tennis. We'll also be aiming for some outdoor events such as barbecues and live music but obviously that will be dependent on the Great British Weather."
Whatever the weather, things are certainly looking bright for The Oatlands and its ever-growing band of happy members.
