MEMBERS of Briercliffe Workingmen's Club are toasting their success after being named as one of the best-run clubs in the country by a national magazine.

The village club has been chosen as Club of the Month by the Club Journal, the official magazine of the Club and Institute Union, Britain's biggest clubs organisation.

Secretary for the last 20 years and a committee man for 36 years, Gordon Leighton, said: "We are doing well. Because of the size of the club we have a membership ceiling of 600 and at the moment we have more than 570 members."

A recent innovation has seen members being allowed to bring children into the Holgate Street club on Saturdays and up until 6pm on Sundays.

Saturday nights, which used to be the quietest of the week, are now busy with family events.

The club has three snooker teams in local leagues and two male and two female darts teams. The most dramatic innovation of recent years was to give women members full equality. There are now two women on the committee, Pauline Ingham and Julie Sarveswaran, whose husband, Sara, is treasurer.

The club was formed in 1920 by a group of local unemployed men in a building which was the stables of a local firm of hauliers.

Over the years the club has undergone several refurbishments, the most recent two years ago when £100,000 was spent.

Picture: CHEERS! David Smith of Briercliffe WMC pulls celebration pints for members after the club was named as one of the country's best run