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27

May 2024

Last Updated: 04/07/2024
Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge

Former Harrogate working men’s club thriving in its 125th year

by John Plummer

| 27 May, 2024
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The Oatlands is marking its 125th anniversary

A former working men’s club in Harrogate is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.

The Oatlands is bucking a decades-long nationwide trend that has seen many other similar clubs decline or close.

It has managed not just to survive but to thrive, with membership numbers topping pre-pandemic levels - and rising.

Founded on November 1, 1889, the club has earned its place as a vibrant part of the community through an ability to adapt with the changing times, and a proactive approach to investing in its facilities.

An ethos of inclusivity and a warm welcome has helped, too. Visit The Oatlands on any given day and you’ll find a mix of members. There are the older regulars who drop in for a drink and a chat at the same time every day. The cricket and football teams enjoying a post-match pint. Mums and kids popping in after school pick-up, and dog walkers stopping by for refreshment. Clubs and groups gathering for their weekly sessions.

It’s what the club is all about, said Lucy Hague, the secretary on the 11-strong committee.

“A lot of it is about our community using it. We are here: Come and use us. It's great when we get new faces – we are really welcoming.”


Changing times




Across the UK, there has been an estimated 75 per cent drop in the number of working men’s clubs during the last half century. In Harrogate, the National Reserve Club closed in 2021, while High Harrogate WMC shut in February this year.

But instead of declining, The Oatlands’ membership is growing. From 888 members at the end of 2020, by the end of 2023 there were 1,158. Thirty joined last month alone. And members don’t just come from the local community. Some are from the other side of town and even as far as Leeds.

It’s a diverse membership, too, with men and women of all ages taking advantage of the bargain £10 annual fee. Many have life membership, automatically bestowed after 25 years. One has been a member since 1956.

A name change has been successful in enticing more people through the door. Originally called Oatlands Mount Working Men's Club, a rebrand in 2019 aimed to dispel the ‘cloth cap image’ and reflect a more modern, diverse and welcoming ethos.

Other clubs in Harrogate have since followed suit, with Bilton ditching the reference in 2022 and Starbeck becoming Forest Club last year. Nationally, around 60 per cent of the clubs still in existence have changed their name.

Lucy, whose late father Ron Hague joined the club aged 16 and served as president in the 1990s, said:

“I remember when I was little, women weren’t allowed in here. Now we are getting a lot more ladies than we ever used to. Our vice president and bar manager are women. There is much better representation than in the past. Kids and dogs are also welcome. It’s a very mixed community.”


"It's about our community using it"


The Oatlands club in Harrogate

The Oatlands committee: Gordon Selby, Lucy Hague, Brian Rhodes, Lesley Watson, Ivor Stainton, George Elmes, Rob Jackson, Mark Bowers, Simon Williams and David Dorsey. Absent, Andrew Milestone



The club's facilities are varied. There's a lounge, snug and bar area, where live sports matches are regularly televised. A large function room hosts special events such as comedy nights and live music, and can be hired by members free of charge for private celebrations.

On the first floor are two snooker tables, darts, a table tennis room and a meeting room. There's even a beer garden, where summer barbecues and other outdoor events are held.

Led by members’ suggestions, the committee organises a range of activities, from children’s Halloween discos to charity fundraisers, quiz nights, and coach trips to the coast or the Christmas markets. Lucy said:

“A lot of what we do is about our community using us. There’s always been an issue with clubs like ours getting young people to join but we get all ages here. Young people come to use the pool and snooker tables. We recently held a Beyonce and Rhianna music night, and a lot of young girls came.”


Everyone at the club cares about it and wants to see it do well. The committee works hard to create a hub for the whole community, re-investing money to improve facilities and infrastructure. Over the last couple of years around £65,000 has been spent on refurbishing the toilets, revamping the outdoor space and improving accessibility, among other things. A redesign of the bar is up next.

Even the beer is good: For the second consecutive year, The Oatlands was this month named Club of the Year by the Harrogate & Ripon branch of Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale.

The Oatlands social club in Harrogate

Bar manager Kate Shutt and assistant Elena Watson receive the Camra award from a branch representative.



In November members will be marking the club's anniversary with a live band, comedy night and a buffet. Lucy said:

“We were worried during covid that things might take a turn for the worse but we’re doing better now than pre-pandemic. We are thriving, and it’s something to celebrate.”






Read more:



  • Starbeck Working Men’s Club changes name in ‘family-friendly’ move

  • Bilton Working Men’s Club decides on new name