Salford Lads Club nears £250,000 target after huge donation from Mancunian music legend

Salford Lads Club, a beloved Greater Manchester institution with over 120 years of history, is facing one of its most challenging moments.

For decades, the club has served as a lifeline for young people in one of the most deprived areas of the country, offering everything from sporting opportunities to arts and crafts.

However, despite its storied past and global recognition, the club now finds itself at a financial crossroads, with the threat of closure looming unless it can raise £250,000 by the end of November 2024.

Superstars and Council answer the call

The first to answer this urgent call was Graham Nash of The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash, who spent his youth within these walls, recently donated £10,000 to the campaign, calling the club his “second home” and a place that shaped him as an artist and individual. “It was here I learned so much about camaraderie and community,” Nash shared.

“Places like Salford Lads Club are rare and precious—they deserve to be preserved.”

Salford Council soon stepped up to the plate, with a £100,000 grant. For a council often stretched thin, this decision underscores the club’s vital role not only as a cultural landmark but as a lifeline for Salford’s young people.

These contributions inspired another musical giant, former Smiths frontman Morrissey, to join the cause with a generous £50,000 donation. Morrissey and his bandmates famously posed outside Salford Lads Club in 1985 for the cover of The Queen Is Dead, immortalising the club and transforming it into a pilgrimage site for fans around the world. Morrissey’s involvement has further galvanized support from fans and community members, propelling the campaign closer to its essential goal.

Thanks to the combined support of Nash, Morrissey, the council, and an ever-growing wave of community donations, the club’s fundraiser is now just shy of its £250,000 target, inching closer to the funding needed to continue its mission.

Salford Lads Club

Founded in 1903 with the mission to “Brighten Young Lives and Make Good Citizens,” Salford Lads Club has been a vital cog in Salford’s ecosystem for years.

Its ornate Edwardian building on Coronation Street in Ordsall has seen countless young people walk through its doors, many of whom went on to achieve success in sports and the arts.

The club’s walls echo with the memories of local legends.

Footballers who trained at the club have gone on to play for Manchester United and Manchester City, while artist Harold Riley, radio DJ Mike Sweeney, and members of the 1960s pop group The Hollies all had ties to the club.

It was immortalised in 1985 when Manchester band The Smiths used the club as the backdrop for an iconic photograph, cementing its place in popular culture.

Fans of the band continue to visit the building to this day, drawn by its connection to music history.

Yet behind the global recognition and cultural cachet lies a community asset struggling to survive.

The rising costs of maintaining the club’s Grade II listed building, combined with a reduction in grants and increasing utility bills, mean that the club now faces a critical funding shortfall.

Laura Sipsmith, head of youth at Salford Lads Club said: “Currently, with the increased costs of running youth activities post-COVID, we need to raise £250,000 to keep our doors open past the end of November.

“It’s an accumulation of things: the cost of utilities, insurance, and everything else.

“The building is quite old, so the lack of funding available for youth organisations is affecting us.

“This is a common issue for many community organisations in terms of the grants and trusts available.”

A lifeline for young people in need

Salford Lads Club is much more than just a cultural landmark—it is a vital resource for the local community.

Ordsall, where the club is based, has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the city, with 46% of children under the age of 16 living in low-income families.

The club offers an extensive programme of activities, including football, boxing, table tennis, music workshops, drama, and arts and crafts, designed to engage and inspire local youth.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, the club is buzzing with energy as young people participate in everything from sports to chess and pool. For many, it’s a safe space to escape the pressures of gang culture, poverty, and lack of opportunity.

The club’s football programme is a particular point of pride.

Just seven years ago, the club had no teams. Now it boasts six boys’ teams and its first-ever girls’ team, with matches held on weekends at Ordsall Park and Salford Sport Village. It costs £12,000 a season to hire these pitches, but the club covers the entire cost to ensure that no family is priced out of participation.

Laura said: “We offer a youth club on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for young people. We also have a football program with seven teams. We focus on positive activities such as sports, music, and creative arts, based on the interests and needs of the young people we work with.

“I think it would be absolutely devastating for Greater Manchester and the area to lose the club.

“Generations of families have used this club. We’ve helped many young people who have gone on to lead successful lives. We support the community to stay strong as a whole. A lack of a safe space for young people would be very detrimental. We offer trusted adults that young people can rely on, which is very important. Everyone feels accepted here.

“This place has a significant heritage and has influenced music and culture greatly. People come from all around the world to visit.”

Annual camps are another cornerstone of the club’s work. Every year, boys and girls alike take part in activities such as abseiling, canoeing, rock climbing, and bushcraft, all delivered by professional instructors. For many young people, these experiences are the highlight of their year—an opportunity to develop new skills, build confidence, and forge lifelong friendships.

How did it come to this?

Despite its invaluable contribution to the local community, Salford Lads Club is facing a financial crisis that could see its doors close by the end of the year.

The club’s annual running costs far exceed its income, with last year’s outgoings totalling £394,700 compared to an income of just £160,000.

Essential expenses include £15,000 for utilities, £15,000 for building maintenance, and £13,000 for insurance.

Grants, once a reliable source of income, have become increasingly scarce as competition for funding intensifies. At the same time, the costs of maintaining the 120-year-old building continue to mount. The club needs £108,000 just to cover its monthly losses for the next six months, as well as a further £55,000 to hire staff needed to professionalise its operations and make it more competitive for future funding.

In response to this financial strain, the club has launched an urgent appeal to raise £250,000 by the end of November.

Without this cash injection, it will be forced to close its doors, bringing an end to over a century of service to the community.

Laura added: “We have a few initiatives we want to get off the ground. One of them is ‘Friends of Salford Lads Club’ or ‘Salford Lads and Girls Club.’

“We are also looking for more corporate sponsors and hope to get businesses to support us. Sponsoring a football team is an example. We hire out our space to bring in income and are applying for grants and funding as well. We hope to organize some interesting fundraising events soon.

Looking to the future

If the immediate funding crisis can be averted, Salford Lads Club has ambitious plans for the future.

The club is currently upgrading to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) status, which will allow it to operate with the benefits of a company without the burden of certain financial liabilities.

In the longer term, the club aims to set up a Legacy Fund—a permanent endowment fund that would generate annual returns to help cover running costs.

The target for this Legacy Fund is £1 million, which could provide the club with an additional £40,000 to £50,000 in income each year.

This would go a long way toward ensuring the club’s future financial stability, but the immediate priority is securing the £250,000 needed to keep the club afloat in the short term.

Why Salford Lads Club matters

Salford Lads Club is not just a building—it’s a symbol of hope for the young people who rely on its services.

For many in the community, it represents a rare opportunity to develop skills, build friendships, and pursue their dreams in an environment that nurtures potential rather than stifling it.

Losing the club would be a devastating blow, not only to the children and families who depend on it but to the cultural and social fabric of Greater Manchester.

How close are they to their target?

With £216,000 already raised, Salford Lads Club is inching closer to the security it desperately needs. The club’s vision includes upgrading to Charitable Incorporated Organisation status to unlock more funding opportunities and working to recruit corporate sponsors to keep the legacy alive. Local events and outreach programs are also in the works to sustain this rescue mission.

“Salford Lads Club is a monument not just to the past, but to a future where young people can still come here, find themselves, and thrive,” Laura shares passionately. “Every donation, big or small, gets us closer to keeping that hope alive.”

How to donate to Salford Lads Club

As the clock ticks down toward the November deadline, Salford Lads Club showcases the community’s strength, its rich musical heritage, and its enduring hope for the future.

In an area where opportunities are scarce and the challenges of poverty are all too real, Salford Lads Club remains a vital pillar of the community. Now, more than ever, the community must come together to ensure that Salford Lads Club can continue its important work for generations to come.

You can donate to the Salford Lads Club fundraiser by clicking here