A LEGENDARY club made famous by The Smiths is on the brink of closure as bosses beg for an immediate “cash injection”.
The Salford Lads Club is at risk of closing permanently after serving as a vital support for young people from deprived communities for over 120 years.
The centre in Greater Manchester needs to secure a whopping £250,000 by the end of November if they want to avoid shutting down for good.
The club was founded in 1903 with the mission to “Brighten Young Lives and Make Good Citizens”.
Over the years, Salford Lads Club has nurtured young talent across Manchester, building a proud legacy.
However, rising costs and reduced grant income mean the club is set to run out of funding in just eight weeks.
The Greater Manchester Institute once housed the 1960s pop group The Hollies who regularly practiced there before becoming famous.
Footballers who have gone on to play for Manchester United and City also used the club.
The centre gained global recognition in 1985 when the Manchester band The Smiths used the club as the backdrop for their iconic image.
The club’s newfound fame brought in a new source of funding from fans of the band, who still make pilgrimages to the building to this day.
The building has also been featured in several popular films and series including Peaky Blinders.
Unfortunately, the revenue generated by filmmakers and visitors isn’t enough to support the huge costs needed to deliver youth programmes to the community.
The Salford Lads Club provides sports and activities to over 200 young people, six days a week, in one of the most deprived areas of the UK.
Rising costs have made it challenging for the club’s management to maintain its 120-year-old Grade II listed building.
The club’s management also needs to hire staff to help run the activities and better compete for grants.
Bosses revealed that the decline in grant income is a result of an oversaturated and competitive market.
The Greater Manchester-based club spends £15,000 on utilities a year.
Another £15,000 is used for building maintenance and insurance is costing the club £13,000 a year.
The club requires £108,000 to cover its monthly losses for the next six months while management seeks new initiatives to generate funds.
However, The Salford Lads Club urgently requires £55,000 for new staff over six months, along with an additional £98,000 to restore services.
Last year, the club generated around £160,000 from donations, money from open days and visitors.
Yet, its outgoings totalled a whopping £394,700.
The Greater Manchester club is located in Ordsall, where an astonishing 689 children under 16 come from low-income families.
That is an eye-watering 46 per cent of all children in the area.
Laura Slingsby, head of youth operations, told Manchester Evening News: “Our mission has always been to ‘Brighten Young Lives and Make Good Citizens’.
“Today, that mission is more relevant than ever, as many of the young people we serve face challenges like gang culture, poverty, and lack of opportunity.
“The club needs the urgent cash injection now to help close the current funding gap, as even if £1m is secured for the Legacy Fund now the returns wouldn’t be generated until next year.”
A fundraiser has been launched to help raise the £250,000 that The Salford Lads Club urgently needs.
