Disclaimer: This article is a news update from the Appledore Music web site and is not an official communication from the Appledore Social Club or any of its officers.
An extraordinary general meeting was held at the Appledore Social Club on 29 August to discuss its future, following its sudden closure on 17 July. The EGM was well attended by a cross-section of users of the club, musicians that regularly perform there, and interested parties with ideas to take the club forward. About 70 people attended the meeting.
Rex Bird, who recently resigned as a director of the social club, reported on the dire state of the club’s finances and the fact that its growing losses had forced its closure. Rex is also a trustee of the Halls Trust which owns the building occupied by the social club.
Appledore Social Club is run by a Community Interest Company (CIC) whose directors were forced to close the doors in July when it became apparent that the club’s debts could not be repaid. The Halls Trust was set up in 1948 as a charity to serve the community of Appledore, with its main asset being the building that houses the social club. The trust is keen to see the club reopen. This could happen in one of three ways. Firstly, a new set of directors could be appointed to the CIC, provided they could offer a credible business plan under which the club thrives and, in due course, repays its debts. Alternatively, the CIC goes into administration and a new CIC is formed to run the social club, unburdened by the current debt. Finally, the Halls Trust itself could reopen and manage the club, in which case there would not be a licensed bar due to rules that prevent charities from selling alcohol.
Rex asked for volunteers to form a working group that could quickly establish the viability of the first option, i.e. keeping the current CIC going. Eleven people volunteered and they are due to meet and report back by the end of September.
We will post more news as we receive it. All of us involved with Appledore Music are hoping that the Social Club continues as a live music venue and we are actively working to achieve that result. There is a form you can fill in here if you have any ideas for the social club’s future, or simply wish to offer help.