Founded in 1929, Grangemoor Working Men’s Club in Burntwood, Staffordshire continues to be a valued part of the local community with a wealth of activities taking place each week
Founded in 1929, Grangemoor Working Men’s Club in Burntwood, Staffordshire is a venue which is truly at the heart of its local community with membership continuing to grow and turnover increasing.
The club has been redecorated and reupholstered in recent years and the carpet throughout replaced to ensure that the club continues to be a modern, welcoming venue that attracts people of all ages.
Now in her 15th year as Secretary (despite having taken the role initially on a temporary basis), Mandi Edwards is the driving force behind the club and works extremely hard for the members. Indeed, her contribution to the club was recognised nationally at last year’s Club Awards in Leicester when she was named ‘Club Secretary of the Year’.
It may be her name on the trophy, but Mandi is keen to stress that teamwork is the key to the club’s ongoing success.
“It was such a nice accolade but our club really is a collective effort from the Committee to the bar staff to the cleaners to the members,” she says.
“We’re all pulling in the same direction with the aim of ensuring the club is moving forward so the Award is a reflection of how well we’re doing.
“We have actually won several other awards in previous years at the Club Awards, including ‘Charity Club of the Year’, ‘CIU Club of the Year’ and ‘Committee of the Year’ and it’s great to have all the hard work that’s going on here recognised nationally.
“The club has a very hardworking Committee, including Chairman Rob Stretton who has received the CIU Distinguished Service Award after 50 years of service.
“The support and camaraderie of our Committee really came to the fore in 2017 when I was diagnosed with heart failure and had to spend a significant time in hospital.
“Everyone rallied around to support me and that has continued to this day which is a real testament to the team we have here.
”The club prides itself on its welcoming atmosphere and family ethos with several child-friendly events taking place throughout the year.
“We are very committed to regular community events, including a Summer Fun Day for children with a bouncy castle, entertainment and a barbecue in the club’s car park,” says Mandi.
“The club is keen to embrace family life and there is no curfew for children in the club.
“We also staged a children’s panto during the festive period which went down really well.
“There are events and activities for our senior members, including a Thursday Afternoon Club which has grown massively over the years and is a very valued part of the club.
“Every week we put on various activities for the over-50s, including guest speakers, balloon badminton and buffet meals.
“It started 10 years ago with just six people turning up and now we have around 100 people participating every Thursday.
“We also took part in the ‘Winter Warmer’ initiative which saw venues in the area clubbing together to ensure that people affected by the cost of living crisis had somewhere warm to go during the day.“
Anybody who wanted to could go into the club during a specified day, be in a warm environment and receive free hot drinks.”
The club has enjoyed a recent influx of younger members over the past 12 months after reaching an agreement with local football side FC Grangemoor to become their official base.
“We were delighted to get involved with FC Grangemoor and become their kit sponsor and for them to use the club as their ‘clubhouse’ and for meetings,” says Mandi.
“Their pitch is just down the road and all the players have become members and they play their matches on Sunday mornings and then come back to the club with the opposition, greatly adding to the atmosphere at the club as well as the revenue.
“We have full Sky Sports and TNT Sports at the club so the players will join the other regulars in watching the Premier League and Championship matches.
“Their first match as part of the club was in August 2023 and it was fantastic to see the football club welcomed into the club by existing members. “The tie-up has also brought in younger people with the majority of the players and their supporters in their 20s, so that augurs well for the future of the club.
“We’re also looking forward to the European Championships in June and will expect some big crowds for all the England games. “As with all the live football, we put up the upcoming fixtures we’re showing on our Facebook page so all our members can come along and enjoy the match in the club.
”Another fairly recent innovation has seen the club offering smart cards for members which means differential prices for members compared to guests – for example, those attending private functions at the club.
“The new smartcards have proven to be a really good incentive for guests to become members and take advantage of better prices for drinks.” says Mandi.
“The system means we can also offer drinks promotions more easily.”
Private functions provide an important income for the club with the club’s Function Room very much in demand.
“Private parties are our bread and butter and bring in so much trade over the bar,” says Mandi.
“We are often booked up every weekend in our Function Room so rather than the members missing out on the entertainment, we've been putting events on in the Front Bar and it's been going really well.
“We have karaoke once a month and also monthly acoustic sessions with a vocalist and they are always well supported. “The karaoke has become really popular and it’s really fun to see people getting up and giving it a go, even if they’re not the world’s best singers!
“With the acoustic sessions the idea is to have great music that adds to the atmosphere but is not so loud that you can't have a conversation.
“Entertainment-wise, we also stage ticketed events throughout the year and we are very much looking forward to welcoming Meatloaf tribute act Terry Nash in March.
“He really is an absolute ‘Dead Ringer’ for the real thing and was on ITV’s Stars In Their Eyes a few years ago so that is going to be a fantastic night.
“We also have singer Holly Rolfe performing at the club on April 5. Her song Words Ain’t Enough is being played a lot on Radio 1 at the moment so that will be something to look forward to, particularly as it’s a free event.”
The club is certainly in the business of providing many fantastic nights for its 1,000-plus members and Mandi is delighted with how the club is faring at the moment.
“As I said, it’s a real collective effort and we’re blessed with some great people, not least our Bar Manager Ryan Smith,” she says. “Everyone is geared up to improving things for the members and giving them as many as reasons as possible to come in through the doors.
“We’re very proud of our club and its importance to the wider community.
“Our members really get behind our various charity initiatives and recently, Luke Stretton, the son of our Chairman Rob, completed three marathons – Berlin, Chicago and London – for charity and many members sponsored him,” says Mandi.
“He’s running the New York Marathon for charity later this year so I’m sure our members will also support him on that as well.
“We have regular fundraisers, most recently a Quiz Night for the Marie Curie charity and earlier events for the St Giles Hospice and the Birmingham Intensive Care Unit
.“We were also one of the first places in the town to install a Community Defibrillator on the exterior of the building.
“In fact, our Treasurer Darren Ennis, who is a local Councillor, organised the fundraising for the initial defibrillator and has continued to drive that initiative across the local area.
“The result is that there are now 20 potentially lifesaving defibrillators available for community use across Burntwood and Lichfield.”
It is clear that, 95 years after it was founded, Grangemoor WMC remains a valued part of town life in Burntwood and a real home-from-home for its members.
