Latest News

Welcome to our Latest News Page!
Welcome to the Latest News section of Conwy Comrades Club. Here you’ll find important updates, community news, recent activities, and good news stories from around the club. It’s the place to keep up to date with what’s happening day to day, from announcements and developments to highlights that bring our members together.

Club News

Chairman’s Update – 04/12/2025

Since the new Committee took over just 12 weeks ago, it is fair to say that the challenges have been far greater than any of us expected. The previous administration left an absolute mess in their wake, with missing information, poor record keeping, and unresolved liabilities that have taken months of intensive work to unravel.

Even something as basic as changing the authorised signatories on the Club bank accounts has been an unbelievable task. Our Treasurer, Keren Bond, has been hammering away at this for weeks, dealing with complications that should never have existed. I want to publicly thank her for her patience, persistence, and determination.

I am also pleased to report that we have now managed to deal with all priority debts. This has required a huge amount of work behind the scenes, and I want to give thanks to our Secretary, Gary Hughes, who has taken a dogged and professional approach to engaging with creditors and negotiating settlements. His efforts have protected the Club from further risk and allowed us to move forward.

AGM Postponement and Financial Accounts

One of the most serious issues we inherited was the condition of the Club’s statutory accounts.

The previous committee claimed that the 2023 to 2024 accounts had been completed and submitted, but this was not the truth.

Work could not begin until we had cleared the outstanding debt with the accountant. Once this was resolved, the accountant began reconstructing the accounts, and the FCA has now agreed to accept the YE2024 submission by 22 January 2026. The accountant has confirmed that these accounts will be ready for members to scrutinise at a Special General Meeting on 15 January 2026.

We regret having to postpone the AGM, but we genuinely had no choice.

An AGM cannot legally or responsibly take place without complete and accurate accounts, and the condition in which we inherited the Club’s financial records made the postponement unavoidable.

The accountant expects the 2024 to 2025 accounts to be finalised by mid February, allowing us to hold the full Annual General Meeting later that month. This ensures full compliance with the Club Rules and transparency for all members.

Landlord Responsibilities

Another unexpected challenge was the rental property. As landlords, the Club must meet strict regulatory requirements. Nothing had been put in place previously. Our President, Andy Lewis, stepped up immediately, completed the Rent Smart Wales landlord training, and is now ensuring full compliance going forward. This is a major responsibility and we are grateful for the work he has taken on.

Positive Progress and Looking Ahead

Despite the scale of the problems we inherited, we are making real progress. We now have a brand new Premises Licence, free from the restrictions previously imposed on the Club. This is a huge achievement and demonstrates the confidence that the authorities now have in how the Club is being run.

I also want to recognise the excellent work carried out by our Building and Maintenance Committee. The two Ians, Ian Hughes and Ian Pattinson, have brought real professionalism, skill, and dedication to the role. They have already tackled several major repairs that were urgently needed, and the standard of their work has been superb. Thank you both for the time and expertise you have given to support the Club.

We also have a very active Entertainments Committee, who are putting together a wide variety of events to appeal to all members. We now have over four hundred members, and we hope you will make use of the Club, support the events, and come together to celebrate with us over Christmas. Hopefully you will also put a bit of cash over the bar while you are here, because every visit really does help the Club continue its recovery.

A Final Word

A special mention to our Bar Manager, Janet Jones, who has settled in brilliantly and is already making a real difference to the bar operation.

Lastly, I want to say, your current Committee is a fantastic team. Every member is giving up their time voluntarily, working long hours, and dealing with issues that should never have existed. Their commitment to rebuilding the Club is something I am incredibly proud of.

Martin Craven

Chairman

Conwy Comrades Club

📣 CALLING ALL COMMUNITY GROUPS, LOCAL ORGANISATIONS & ACTIVITY LEADERS!
We need your help 🙌

As many of you know, when the new Committee took over the Conwy Comrades Club, one of our biggest aims was to turn the building into a true community facility that serves Conwy and the surrounding area.

We’ve had huge interest from all sorts of groups — veterans, wellbeing groups, children’s groups, craft clubs, fitness instructors, social groups, youth leaders, Welsh language groups and many more.

We are now writing an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Welsh Government’s Community Facilities Programme to help us refurbish and reopen the upstairs space as a fully accessible community hub.

👉 To complete the application, we must list organisations who want to use the space, along with a contact name, telephone number and email.
(They may contact you to confirm your interest.)

If your group, club, charity, school, service, or organisation would like to use the space — regularly or occasionally — please get in touch.

🟢 We need from you:

Organisation name
Contact person
Telephone number
Email address
Brief outline of how your group would use the space

📧 Please email these details to:
chairman@conwycomrades.co.uk

This support will make a huge difference to our application and help us secure funding to create a warm, safe, accessible community space for everyone in Conwy.

Thank you to everyone who has already shown interest — this is your chance to help shape the next stage of the Club’s future ❤️

Please share widely so we can include as many groups as possible!

PUBLIC NOTICE

As required under licensing regulations, we are sharing the attached Public Notice for our Premises Licence application.

A quick update from your Committee

We wanted to take a moment to thank all our members for the fantastic support you’ve shown since the Club reopened. It’s been an incredibly busy eight weeks, getting the doors open again, rebuilding systems, sorting finances, and planning for the future of the Comrades.

Every member of the Committee is an unpaid volunteer who gives up their own time, evenings, weekends, and family time to help get the Club back on its feet. There’s a huge amount happening quietly behind the scenes, and the progress so far is down to the hard work and commitment of this small but dedicated team.

We know some members have been asking about the Loan Stock Certificates. These haven’t been sent out yet, but please rest assured that every application and payment is fully recorded and secure. Certificates will be issued once all details have been checked and verified, we just want to make sure everything is accurate and transparent before they’re released.

We’re still welcoming new Loan Stock applications up until Saturday 20th December, so if you’d like to take part and invest in the Club’s future, there’s still time to apply. Your support makes a real difference and helps strengthen the Club for the long term.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support. The Club is being rebuilt by its members, for its members and together, we’re making something very special for Conwy’s community.

🎉 150 Members and Counting! 🎉

A huge thank you to everyone who has renewed or joined as new members — we’ve officially reached 150 members! Your support means everything as we work together to rebuild and secure the future of Conwy Comrades Sports & Social Club. 💪

📅 Member Update Presentation
Join us this Saturday, 11th October at 11:00am for a short 30-minute presentation where we’ll share updates on the Club’s progress, plans for reopening, and next steps in our journey.

🧹 The Big Clear Out & Clean Up!
After the presentation, we’ll be rolling up our sleeves for the Big Clear Out and Clean Up. If any members would like to stay and help, you’re more than welcome — many hands make light work!

Thank you again for your continued support — together we’re keeping the Comrades spirit alive in Conwy. 🇬🇧❤️

CAN YOU HELP SUPPORT THE FINANCE SUB-COMMITTEE?

Any members out there who we could use your experience and expertise?

Over 100 Members and Counting!

A huge thank you to everyone who’s renewed or joined as a new member, in just over a week we’ve now passed 100 paid members already!
Your support means so much as we work to bring the Comrades back stronger than ever.

If you haven’t renewed yet, we’re holding membership sessions every Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm to 7.30pm, pop in for a chat and to get your membership sorted.

Just a gentle reminder that use of the car park is for current paid members only. We do seem to have acquired some abandoned vehicles which we may have to have towed away!

See you soon at the Club!
Conwy Comrades Committee

Be Part of the Team Bringing Conwy Comrades Back to Life!

We’re relaunching the Club and building a team to make it thrive again at the heart of our community. 💪🍻

👉 We’re now recruiting for:

Bar Manager (£30,000 pro rata, 30 hours/week to start)
Part-Time Bar Staff (£12.50/hr, minimum 15 hours/week, weekends)

This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to play a vital role in saving and rebuilding a historic community & veterans’ club that has served Conwy for nearly 100 years.

📧 To apply, email your CV and covering letter to: secretary@conwycomrades.co.uk
📍 Or drop it into the Club at 8 Church Street, Conwy, LL32 8AF

Join us, and be part of something special. Together we can make the Comrades thrive again. ❤️

Chairman’s Update 27/09/25

Overcoming Challenges, Building Momentum

It has been a very busy and productive fortnight for the committee, and I want to take a moment to update you on where we are.

All of our creditors have now been contacted, and our Secretary, Gary Hughes has worked hard to produce a priority list which we are now actioning. I also want to thank Sarah Moorcroft, our volunteer administrator, who continues to go above and beyond in supporting this work.

The Treasurer and I have met with the bank to complete the transfer of accounts to the new committee, and we are now just waiting for everything to be finalised.

Our President, Andy Lewis, has successfully completed his landlord training with Rent Wales. This is an important step in making sure that, as a Club, we are responsible landlords when managing the flat above the premises, ensuring it is handled properly and professionally going forward.

I also met with the Council Licensing team. Unfortunately, our club licence had been withdrawn previously and not appealed at the time, meaning we must now reapply. While this is another obstacle, the licensing officers were very supportive and the application is already being prepared.

Andy and I also met with local residents to listen to their concerns and reassure them about the direction of the Club. As both a member and your newly appointed Chairman, I have to say I was embarrassed to hear what some had been put through in the past, what they witnessed was not acceptable. We are determined to put this right and make sure the Club is once again a source of pride for members and the community.

On Saturday we held an open morning for new and returning members to pay their subscriptions. The atmosphere was fantastic, warm, friendly, and full of positivity. Many people commented that they had not felt welcome in the Club for years, and it was heartening to see them returning. The turnout was incredible and a real show of trust in the committee. It was great to share a coffee and a chat with so many of you.

Following the open morning, the committee met to discuss next steps. One frustration was receiving an unexpected invoice of over £1,000 for Sports TV, which could have been avoided had the contract been cancelled when the Club closed. But onwards and upwards, we will deal with each obstacle as it comes. We also agreed to aim for a members-only Halloween Party on the 31st October as our official reopening, with the possibility of a small soft opening beforehand to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Our new website is now up and running, providing a useful source of information including minutes of our meetings.

Finally a quick word on our Loan Stock Scheme. It has started really well, with over £20,000 already pledged. With your support, I am confident we can reach our target of £90,000 to provide the working capital needed to run the Club at its best again.

Chairman’s Update – 15th September 2025
A fresh start with energy, optimism, and commitment

I want to take a moment to update you all following our first formal Committee Meeting we held on Saturday 13th September.

It was fantastic to see such an enthusiastic group of people around the table, each bringing their own experience and skills to help move the Club forward. The commitment and energy on display gives me great confidence that, together, we can restore the Club to its rightful place in the community.

Since being voted in just over a week ago, we have been working hard every day to stabilise the financial situation. Unfortunately, this has been made more difficult by what we inherited: unopened bills, court letters left unanswered, and serious delays with HMRC access. After many hours on the phone, the secretary was finally able to get us into the HMRC portal, only to find the VAT owing is far higher than we had been told on handover. A large portion of this debt is made up of fines and penalties from late or missing returns and payments.

At the same time, we have begun the physical clean-up of the Club itself, which was sadly not left in a good state. Although we continue to face some challenges and a lot of misinformation, I want to reassure members that we remain positive and determined. Importantly, we have contacted all creditors and I am very pleased to say that they are willing to work with us to get the Club back on track.

The Loan Stock Scheme will be finalised next week and ready to roll out to members.

At the Committee Meeting we also agreed on annual subscriptions. While we carefully considered the suggestions from members, we felt the fairest approach to encourage new members was to set the rate at:

• £20 for both renewals and new members

• £15 for OAPs and veterans

These rates will, of course, be reviewed once the Club is back on its feet.

We have also now launched our new website, www.conwycomrades.co.uk. This will be a useful place to find out information about the club, updates, rules, upcoming events.

Looking ahead, we are working towards a provisional timeline. Our aim is to have the Club fully open in time for Remembrance Sunday, with some “soft openings” in October if we can get everything in place. It’s going to be tough, but I am fortunate to have such a dedicated and capable team beside me.

I also want to give a special thank you to Ian Lennon, who gave up his time to clear the weeds and plants in the Club car park. Small contributions like this make a huge difference, and we are very grateful. also a thank you to North Wales Recovery for supplying the refreshments for the committee meeting.

Finally, I want to say this: please don’t listen to the rumour mills. If you have a question or concern, please feel free to contact me directly. I can assure you that my only aim, shared by the whole Committee, is to rebuild the Club into the great place it once was. With your support, I am confident we will succeed.

Thank you all for your patience and encouragement. Together, we are making progress.