Bu g l e Welcome to our Spring/Summer newsletter! Welcome to our Spring/Summer Newsletter! It’s been a while since we gave members, potential new members and visitors alike a Club news update. It is the Committee’s intention to put something like this together every six months or so as we move forward. During the last twelve months the Club has seen some terrible setbacks. However, with the hard work of the Committee (and let’s not forget that it is purely voluntary) the Club is in great shape. The Committee are always open to receiving constructive feedback and suggestions to improve the Club further. Any ideas you may have can either be posted in the suggestion box in the lounge, discussed ‘informally’ with any Committee member or emailed to greatbarrconClub@gmail.com. Currently we have circa 400 members and anyone wishing to join or even re-join would be more than welcome. Please ask behind the bar for details. Please take a few minutes to catch-up with what is happening and what has happened. Links to the Community We are a local food bank collection point for the Great Barr Food Bank, which is based at St Bernards Church, Broome Avenue. There is a crate in the lounge in which to place any non-perishable food items you would like to donate. We are also happy to accept toiletries and household cleaning items. Additionally, we collect your preloved bras and spectacles for a local charity that does sterling work in Africa. We have recently begun to collect any balls of unwanted wool, which are transformed into beautiful baby clothes to raise funds for Age UK. We thank those of you who have already donated. On Friday 2nd February 2024 we said goodbye to our dear friend Mandy. Mandy began at the Club in 1983 working tirelessly over the following 40 years, becoming Bar Manager (and so much more) in 2019. We feel honoured and privileged to have had Mandy in our lives and we will never, ever forget her. A plaque in memory of this amazing lady has been placed above the lounge door. Henceforth this room will be known as ‘Mandy’s Lounge’. Birmingham Hospice We are proud to have donated funds to Birmingham Hospice, formerly known as John Taylor Hospice. Most recently in September 2023, Chris Wilde and Tom Heyes presented a cheque for £3,000 to the Hospice. This was raised by events Chris and Tom organised at the Club, with a very generous contribution from CHH Conex Limited. This Summer we will be donating another large contribution to the Hospice, raised at various events during the winter months.
In the past couple of years, we have had to invest more that £30K to maintain and modernise the Club. The old overhead heaters / air con units in the lounge have been replaced and a larger high-resolution TV and DVD player have been installed. The snooker room has new match play lights and the tables have been re-covered. The men’s snooker room toilet has also been updated. There are new extractor fans in both this toilet and the ladies’ toilet. In the function room we have had new carpets, chairs, tables, blinds and curtains, The dance floor has been completely renovated. The Club has also invested in a high-resolution projector and screen for film nights, sporting events etc. The ladies’ toilet in the function room has been upgraded with new basins, flooring and dryers. Weekly Club Activities There are several regular weekly activities at the Club, including Linda’s friendly and fun ‘FABS’ exercise class aimed at the over 60’s on Tuesday mornings at 10.30am. On Tuesday evenings we have the Bell Target Shooting Club and then Thursday evenings at 6.30pm there is ‘Lets Move!’ a low impact cardio, strength, abs and flexibility exercise class and on Saturday mornings we have a Slimming World Group. On the last Friday of the month, the Blue Monkey Club host a very welcoming and friendly open mic night. Finally, we have regular Bingo in the lounge on Friday and Sunday evenings from 9pm latest. Please note the commencement time has been changed to an earlier start. If you would like more information about any of these activities, please ask the bar staff. Bar Staff In February Shane and Tamera became Joint Bar Managers. We wish them every luck in their new roles. They both had to adapt and learn new skills to keep the bar going. It was a difficult time for everyone when Mandy was very poorly and no one could have known the terrible outcome. We all miss her dearly; she is a very sad loss to everyone. Mandy was such a figurehead and played a principal part in the running of the bar. Derek’s organisational skills at this time went above and beyond. He took it upon himself to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the Club. Additional bar staff were introduced to keep everything running as smoothly as possible. We now have arguably the best events venue in the area and this is reflected in the excellent level of usage the room has for Club entertainment and private parties. Outside, the new front entrance door provides better security and makes the Club look more welcoming. A ramp now provides easier access for people with mobility issues and very recently the porch has been recarpeted. The cellar has been upgraded and more cost-effective coolers fitted, and improved racking has been installed. We are extremely grateful to Derek who has volunteered many hours of his own time to oversee these improvements and he has also given the Club a lick of paint to generally brighten the place up and bring it into the 21st century. One constant worry that should be mentioned is the flat asbestos roof. The roof is a persistent problem and has to be patched up by Derek on a regular basis. We will also need to spend money in due course on the central heating system. Somewhere underground there is a leak in the pipes which causes the pressure to drop fairly quickly, which in turn shuts the system down. This requires the system to be topped up daily during the months that the central heating system is in use.
During 2023 we welcomed thirteen bands, Abba, Klasside (twice), Thirsty Work, The Schemers, Fred Zeppelin, Yam Yam Elvis, Jayler (twice), The Ska Studs’, The Father Teds, Total Rex, The Black Country Beatles, The West Coast Eagles and Knoxville Highway. On ticket sales alone the Club made a profit of £766. Aside from live entertainment the Club held several film nights; thank you to Tanya, Sam, and Linda for organising these. You may be aware that we have introduced a Children’s Movie Night, taking place on a Wednesday evening during school holidays. These have proved to be popular and have been enjoyed by adults and children alike. Movies being shown are advertised in the Club and on the FB page a few weeks in advance of each school holiday. We also had a family Halloween Night and Disco and a Children’s Christmas Party both of which were a resounding success and will be repeated this year. An awful lot of hard Committee work goes into organising these entertainment events. We understand that everyone has different tastes but ongoing support is essential in order to continue to provide them. Please support the Club where you can. There are a number of great nights ahead for 2024 including The Wild Irish, Duran Duranish, Sweet45/Glam 45 and the return of Yam Yam Elvis, The Black Country Beatles and The West Coast Eagles. Last New Years Eve the Club sold all 180 allocated tickets. The whole Club was opened and this year we intend to repeat the process with discounted tickets on sale to members first. It’s important to point out that we have to make this a ticketed event in order to manage the numbers and comply with fire and safety regulations. Financials For most of us, thankfully, the Covid crisis seems like a distant, unpleasant memory. Like many hospitality venues, the club took a real battering during this time. However, under the guidance of Reg Smith and Roy Griffin the club survived and came through. It is pleasing to say that financially the club is now in a stronger position than just before we entered the Covid pandemic. The club’s sales turnover has more than doubled in the four years between 2019 and 2023. The club has had to make a number of essential investments Event details are regularly posted on Facebook and we keep members updated via email. If you are a member and have provided your email address but you aren’t receiving regular updates please email your full name and correct email address to greatbarrconClub@gmail.com and we will update your records. Please look out for the posters in the Club too. If you have any suggestions regarding entertainment, you are welcome to let the Committee know using either the suggestion box or email greatbarrconClub@gmail.com. Roger Woakes We recently learned of the passing of Roger Woakes. A former Chairman of the Club, Roger worked tirelessly on behalf of the members during his tenure. Our thoughts are with his wife Elaine and his family at this sad and difficult time. including roof repairs, the air-conditioning system and upgrading our EPOS system, together with general club infrastructure upkeep and improvements. Despite this the club cash position is currently very healthy. Cash in the bank safeguards against unforeseen essential expenditure and helps to manage the increase that we have seen in bar sales over recent times. Finally, due to the rising costs from our suppliers, the club have had to make a number of unavoidable bar price increases over the past year or so. We do always endeavour to keep these to a minimum without compromising covering the costs of running the club.
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