Last orders at Bermuda Working Men’s Club

[dutchman]

Bermuda Working Men’s Club which nurtured generations of sporting legends has pulled its last pint.



Rising costs and falling sales have forced officials to call ‘time’ after almost a century and `we are closed’ signs have been put up at the entrance.

The final straw came when its electricity supply was cut off because the bill had not been paid.

Club secretary Tom Walker, one of the longest serving officials in the history of Nuneaton Clubland, said: “We were just not taking enough money over the bar. It is a simple as that.”

Some sources put the bill at £5,500: “It seems to be rising all of the time, but it is several thousands of pounds,” said Tom Walker.

He added: “The fact of the matter is that the club is closed until the electricity bill is paid, but I can’t see us doing that at the moment.

“There is no point in trying to gloss over the situation. We can’t operate without electricty and we haven’t got the means to pay the bill.”

The club is just another victim of the growing crisis in the licensed trade as pubs and clubs struggle to make ends meet.

Bermuda was once a successful and flourishing club: “Two-and-a-half years ago, we were taking £1,800 to £2,200 a week and doing well,” said Tom Walker.

“But people, including some of the old players ,stopped coming in and takings dropped by £600 a week and have been going down.

“If you don’t take enough money to pay your bills then you go under. People don’t need that explaining to them.”

He played in goal for Bermuda 50 years ago and has been secretary of the club for 45 years: “You can imagine how emotional I feel,” he said.

“You hear of pubs and clubs closing and then re-opening, but I can’t see anybody bailing us out this time.”

Despite the closure, the bowls section will continue and so will the football club for the time being, but they will move their headquarters to the nearby Hare and Hounds pub or Griff and Coton Sports Club.

Mick Tonks from the bowls section said: “Our greens are wonderful and Mick Waters the club steward, made sure the electricity bills for for the changing rooms were paid so, fortunately, we will still be able to use them.

But he added: “It is terrible that a club like Bermuda has been forced to close after such a long time. You can’t believe it.

Built in the early years of the last century to serve the mining village the present club has long been a hub of the sporting community.

For many years it was the home of the leading football club in the borough, the first one to win the Birmingham Junior Cup and can boast unequalled success at bowls and darts and dominoes.

Few clubs in the country can boast as many trophies as have found their way into the club’s trophy cabinet.

The club was destined to close in the future and be replaced by a new community centre at the other end of the village provided by builders Deeleys as part of a massive development and regeneration of the area.

“We were to close and the new club open and Deeleys have been as helpful as they can,” said Tom Walker. “But there is nothing more they or anybody else could do.”

[Spuffler]

SIGH.........