Trivial things you don't understand/mildly annoy you

[Wobbly Bob]

The recent closure of the Upper Stratton Reform Club after a long history.

By all accounts quite distressing for the people who ran the place and the loyal membership.

I know that these places were for many years male dominated bastions, but more recently a place where the local community could gather for a pint and a bingo session etc.

Arkells pulled the plug apparently.
Extortionate rent didn't help.

The nearby RBL club will take up the slack no doubt.

Used to drink in The Bakers Arms and The Kingsdown in younger days.
Always used to wonder, during a 3B's farting hangover, if the urinals had a direct feed to the brewing vats at the Arkells brewery.

Over to you Reg.

[Abrahammer]

The working mans club is a dying breed, is a shame.

Many happy memories of frequenting one with my old man, learning my trade in the traditional range of pub “sports”

[Sippo]

The problem is they don’t move with the times. The haydon wick club used to be immense, but it’s not cheap. They use the beer money to pay for the Saturday night music which is boring and uninteresting.

They have to accommodate for families if they are to survive.

[pauld]

The problem is they don’t move with the times. The haydon wick club used to be immense, but it’s not cheap. They use the beer money to pay for the Saturday night music which is boring and uninteresting.

They have to accommodate for families if they are to survive.

But that's because the committees are dominated by old farts who just do what they've always done and are scared of change(NB not a comment on Haydon Wick Club, that could be run by a vibrant,dynamic committee and Sippo's just a moaning git for all I know but it holds for most WMCs of my acquaintance). The answer, as with any voluntary/community group, whether it be your local WMC, the Trust, your local allotments or whatever is if you don't like the way it is being run,.get involved and change it, That's the beauty of community organisations - if you think they're badly run,you always have the opportunity to get involved, find out it's harder than it looks and do just as shit a job as the last lot, while making the same excuses they did (because it's harder than it looks)

[4D]

Talking of clubs, does anyone know why the North Swindon club is called the North Swindon club? It's on Cheney Manor Road. 

[Batch]

Talking of clubs, does anyone know why the North Swindon club is called the North Swindon club? It's on Cheney Manor Road. 

the Cheney Manor Road in North Swindon?

is this a trick question?

[4D]

the Cheney Manor Road in North Swindon?

is this a trick question?

Genuine question. If it predates Moredon et al then it would have been in North Swindon. Reg?

[Reg Smeeton]

Genuine question. If it predates Moredon et al then it would have been in North Swindon. Reg?

It's like the West Swindon club was in Radnor Street...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/swindonlocal/3697652440

At the time Cheney Manor was the north of Swindon

[RobertT]

Moredon is all post war isn't it?  Rodbourne Cheney (further North) was a little village north of Swindon once upon a time.

[Reg Smeeton]

Moredon is all post war isn't it?  Rodbourne Cheney (further North) was a little village north of Swindon once upon a time.

Not all of it.... you can find Moredon in the Domeday Book, along with Blunsdon, Rodbourne Cheney and Groundwell to the north.

[RobertT]

I was thinking the bit with the WMC - in fact, isnlt/wasn't that the RCWMC, not Moredon?  It was certainly a more modern structure - you couldn't see past your own nose pre-smoking ban.

[horlock07]

But that's because the committees are dominated by old farts who just do what they've always done and are scared of change(NB not a comment on Haydon Wick Club, that could be run by a vibrant,dynamic committee and Sippo's just a moaning git for all I know but it holds for most WMCs of my acquaintance). The answer, as with any voluntary/community group, whether it be your local WMC, the Trust, your local allotments or whatever is if you don't like the way it is being run,.get involved and change it, That's the beauty of community organisations - if you think they're badly run,you always have the opportunity to get involved, find out it's harder than it looks and do just as shit a job as the last lot, while making the same excuses they did (because it's harder than it looks)

Thing is, especially with long established organisations, it is not as easy as that.

Over the years I have been involved professionally with a fair few organisations whose managing committees have been dominated by let us say the more mature person, who have inevitably been on the committee for years and sat on the merry go round of chair, secretary, treasurer etc, with the same people just flitting between each role each year. In all cases they moan like hell that young people don't get involved, but if any new blood tries to get involved invariably they then get shouted down as they don't have the knowledge or experience apparently to have an opinions, they tend to last 2-3 meetings, decide it ain't worth it and bugger off.

Or you get the MBE chasers rolling up and they are just as bad!

Such things are like pubs and village post offices, people rarely use them then moan like fuck when they close.

[Reg Smeeton]

But that's because the committees are dominated by old farts who just do what they've always done and are scared of change(NB not a comment on Haydon Wick Club, that could be run by a vibrant,dynamic committee and Sippo's just a moaning git for all I know but it holds for most WMCs of my acquaintance). The answer, as with any voluntary/community group, whether it be your local WMC, the Trust, your local allotments or whatever is if you don't like the way it is being run,.get involved and change it, That's the beauty of community organisations - if you think they're badly run,you always have the opportunity to get involved, find out it's harder than it looks and do just as shit a job as the last lot, while making the same excuses they did (because it's harder than it looks)

I go in the HWC from time to time, and it is a well run place....

http://www.haydonwickclub.co.uk/about.html

What's not to like there. I was also taken by the fact that they take their old uns who've been members for years on an outing to Weston 

[pauld]

Thing is, especially with long established organisations, it is not as easy as that.

Over the years I have been involved professionally with a fair few organisations whose managing committees have been dominated by let us say the more mature person, who have inevitably been on the committee for years and sat on the merry go round of chair, secretary, treasurer etc, with the same people just flitting between each role each year. In all cases they moan like hell that young people don't get involved, but if any new blood tries to get involved invariably they then get shouted down as they don't have the knowledge or experience apparently to have an opinions, they tend to last 2-3 meetings, decide it ain't worth it and bugger off.

Yep, agree with all that, and have had the same experience directly and indirectly, but was mainly making the point it's easy to moan, better to do something about it. If you can....

Such things are like pubs and village post offices, people rarely use them then moan like fuck when they close.

Yes, that was also part of the point I was trying to make.

[pauld]

I go in the HWC from time to time, and it is a well run place....

http://www.haydonwickclub.co.uk/about.html

What's not to like there.

No idea, I was making a general point about doing something about the problem rather than just moaning from the sidelines. And I specifically said
"NB not a comment on Haydon Wick Club, that could be run by a vibrant,dynamic committee and Sippo's just a moaning git for all I know ", so wasn't in any way trying to have a go at HWC, I know nothing about it