Salford Lads Club

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Coordinates: 53°28′35″N 2°16′29″W / 53.47639, -2.27472

Front shot of: "Salford Lads Club"

Salford Lads Club is a boys and girls recreational club located in the suburb of Ordsall, part of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. The club was established in 1903 as a boys-only club, but today both boys and girls are welcome. The club organizes recreational activities for local youth, including football, snooker, table-tennis, computer games, boxing training, dance, community meetings, exhibitions, kickboxing, excursions and Jujitsu.

It was opened on January 30, 1904, by General Baden-Powell, later the founder of the scout movement. Among former members are actor Albert Finney and Allan Clarke, the lead singer of 60s pop group The Hollies.

Membership has fallen to 90 compared to 2,000 in its heyday. The club gained listed status in 2003, and its tiled interior is virtually unchanged, with original fittings including a boxing ring, snooker rooms, and a gym with a viewing balcony.

In 2007, the Manchester Evening News reported that the club was third in a nationwide hunt to find the most iconic buildings in the country.^[1]

A report by English Heritage said: "The building is thought to be the most complete example of this rare form of social provision to survive in England."^[2]

1 The Smiths
2 Fundraising
3 Notes
4 External links

[edit] The Smiths

The club gained fame in 1986 when the pop band The Smiths posed in front of it for the inside cover of their album The Queen Is Dead (the photograph was taken by pop photographer Stephen Wright). The Smiths music video for the song "Stop Me" also featured shots of the building exterior. The club is on the corner of St Ignatius Way and Coronation Street in Salford and is a place of pilgrimage for many Smiths fans.

The club also featured in the music video for The Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town".

[edit] Fundraising

In recent years the club has fallen into disrepair, and is seeking £1m funding for repairs. The club has received publicity and funds after being featured in the Channel 4 series The Secret Millionaire in November 2007. Property Developer Chek Whyte initially donated £15,000 towards repairs as aprt of the programme, then subsequently paid for roof repairs and has become involved with the club long-term.

Former Smiths frontman Morrissey has also donated funds towards restoration. He initially wanted to keep his donation of £20,000 a secret but was dissuaded from doing so, because the publicity would help the campaign.^[3]