VERWOOD BRITISH LEGION CLUB - TRANSFORMED

CLUB 31 TAKES OVER POPULAR COMMUNITY VENUE

It's a year since Verwood's British Legion Club was slated for closure by its London masters.

We've reported previously that the Club had been saved by a group of local volunteers - and now the legal process has been complete and Club 31 is born.

Club 31 - a new entity and a complete break with the Legion - is set to start trading on June 1st. As Operations Manager Alan Dorey said "It was a long and uphill battle - loads of setbacks and challenges - but the team pulled through. Much credit must go to the tenacity of our people, but critically, new Chairman Brian Giddings".

The premises have been bought from the Legion by a third-party developer and in turn, they've been leased for 25 years to Verwood Community Club Limited, the legal entity of Club 31. "This is stunning news - just what we've been working for. We'll have a low-key take-over and then a major re-launch of the facilities five weeks or so later. We have exciting plans to transform the facilities and we need to get these in place as soon as we can" said Brian Giddings.

Plans include all-day opening, over-hauled food and drinks offerings - with active support from partners Ringwood Brewery - creation of a larger lounge bar, stage extrension, new car-park layout and a fresh approach to serving the local community. Memberships start at just £10 per annum - and for that members get the cheapest drinks prices in town, superb facilities and a first class entertainments and events programme. Applications can be obtaine direct from the Moorlands Road Club or e-mailing name/address to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Paul Randall - 20th May 2010