THE WORLD’S oldest working men’s club has received the boost it craved as it looks to stay open.
The Correspondent told how Ridge Hill – formed in 1861 – launched an appeal as it faced a £5,000 legal bill so it can formally change trustees in order to sell the upstairs accommodation.
Now locally-based Smurfit Westrock has stepped in and donated the whole sum so it can look to keep on operating.
And Paul Bishop, life secretary of Ridge Hill WMC, could not downplay its importance.
He said: “We’ll be shut, basically. If we don’t sell the flat, it’s end of story.
“There are bills, a couple of loans we have to pay back and three or four credit cards that we’re building up – we’re not taking enough behind the bar.
“What we do take is just paying the bar bills and wages. The cash we take from the till only pays for the next lot of beer we order.
“And we’re very important to the community around us. Football teams, pool teams and darts team are based here, so we get money from that. Without it, we’d be struggling.
“We put out an appeal and Smurfit Westrock got in touch, which is brilliant. Huge thanks to them for what they’re doing.
“Now we’re getting in touch with the solicitors about changing the trustees so we can then sell the flat.
“In 1995, the club took out a loan from the Heineken Brewery and we were told by a solicitor’s company the three trustees from then have to agree to sign it off.
“Then we can sell the flat but £5,000 is our starting point.
“Anything we get over that, we’ll go through all the maintenance, like painting things. We’ve not had it painted since COVID-19 struck and we can store anything that’s left for the rainy days.”
Sarah Brennan, human resources manager at Smurfit Westrock’s base on Knowl Street in Stalybridge, heard about Ridge Hill WMC’s place in history and had to act.
She said: “At Smurfit Westrock, we believe that businesses thrive when communities thrive so we are always looking for opportunities to support.
“When I read Paul’s appeal about the club’s future being at jeopardy and the impact this will have on our local community, it was an easy decision for us to get involved.
“I mean, who doesn’t want the world’s oldest working men’s club to succeed?
“Supporting local communities is not just our responsibility, it’s a privilege and we are proud to be in a position where we can financially support Ridge Hill working men’s club.
“These efforts reflect our company ethos to ‘Grow Together’ and together we can make a challenging time for the club owners and their customers a little easier.”