Sheffield working men's club could be forced to close unless £40,000 can be raised for roof repairs

A Sheffield working men’s club could be forced to close unless up to £40,000 is raised to fund vital roof repairs.
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The Victory Club, in Darnall, advertises a private function room which is available for events such as wedding receptions, birthday parties and presentation evenings – all of which can no longer be held due to the water damage from the leaking roof meaning that takings are down and the club is at risk of closure.

It is managed entirely by volunteers from the Attercliffe Victory Committee and is a non-profit social enterprise meaning there are no spare funds carry out the repairs.

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The Victory Club, DarnallThe Victory Club, Darnall
The Victory Club, Darnall
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Chairperson Audrey Hammond described the club as a safe haven for its members, many of whom have been attending for over a decade, and said its closure could leave them stuck indoors without a place to socialise.

She added: “We need a whole new roof, it is leaking everywhere. We’ve had it patched up over the years but we can’t use the concert room upstairs as the water and damp have taken the wallpaper off.

“We had repairs a few weeks ago which the members had a collection and paid for, that cost about £800 on the last bill. There’s mould from the damp and we’ve tried to clean it and painted over it, the repair is to just get us over the Christmas period but who knows what will happen if we have more rain.

“We’re just doing the best we can. It’s mainly the elderly who come to the club to socialise, they daren’t go out at night so we hold socials in the day. They’d stay in and wouldn’t socialise if we closed - we’re just trying our best to keep it open.”

The damage to the upstairs function room at The Victory Club, DarnallThe damage to the upstairs function room at The Victory Club, Darnall
The damage to the upstairs function room at The Victory Club, Darnall
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The committee said the club serves a deprived community and offers a safe space to gather and host events including ladies darts, men’s snooker and dominoes along with social afternoons for senior citizens in partnership with Darnall Wellbeing.

Currently, when it rains water is leaking into the main function room upstairs, ruining the ceiling and the walls and leaving the room unusable.

As the leak is gradual the club is unable to claim on its insurance.

Trade Management company YDP provides management support for The Victory Club and is currently trying to help raise the funds.

The rainwater is leaking into the upstairs function room at The Victory Club, in Darnall, causing damage to the ceiling and walls leaving the room unusableThe rainwater is leaking into the upstairs function room at The Victory Club, in Darnall, causing damage to the ceiling and walls leaving the room unusable
The rainwater is leaking into the upstairs function room at The Victory Club, in Darnall, causing damage to the ceiling and walls leaving the room unusable
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Jack Dormer, operations director at YDP, said: “These clubs were built in World War One to celebrate the victory in the war so it has been going on and off for around 100 years. We are very happy to be supporting the committee in their efforts to secure the future of the club and its place for the members of the community.”

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