'Lying on the edge of an estate in need of regeneration I walked into Salford Lads Club for the first time...I fell in love'

I was dispatched to Salford in 1988 as the district reporter for the MEN. By then The Smiths had split after delivering their swansong album "Strangeways Here We Come" the year before.

A patch reporter needs to identify people and places that can enlighten you with local knowledge, guidance, and nous. There were maverick councillors to get to know, community leaders, and local 'characters'.

Salford Lads Club is on the brink of closure - it needs our help

The Ordsall district then was a tough place to walk and knock on doors. In 1992 it was scarred by rioting which erupted across the city as tensions between police and an elements of the population exploded.

Lying on the edge of an estate in need of wholesale regeneration I walked into Salford Lads Club for the first time. It was a refuge from despair, violence, crime, and no hope. Generations of families from the city had gone through its doors. It proved to be a font of guidance when trying to find the right person or be ahead of the game when the council were up to something.

But beyond my mercenary needs I became attached to the place. It fuelled resilience and a spirit in a community which was and remains one of the most deprived in the country.

The least I could do was write about it when the club encountered ill winds, unexpected windfalls, global attention, fame, and acquired a neat side line as a place to hire for filming scenes for TV and films, and holding weddings.

I remember being incredulous as I wrote a story about how Lottery chiefs thought the beautiful Edwardian building housing the club on Coronation Street should be bulldozed. Two years later I wrote how it had been given Grade II listed status.

Yes, I bought the T-shirt when photographer, Stephen Wright, allowed his iconic image of The Smiths outside the building's archway to be embossed on a limited edition. They sold out and raised £40,000 for the club.

The club is more than a stop-off on a Manchester music tour. It is a living and integral part of the city's social history. Its galleried sports hall, boxing ring, archives, and Smiths Room also harbour joy and humour. It played a part when I ambushed the then Prime Minister with a Salford Lads Club Smiths shirt.

Artist Amber McCormack commissioned by the club to do work for them designed and made customised "Manchester Evening Brews" mugs for my fellow reporters to give the newsroom a morale boost during the Covid pandemic.

Salford council has over the years found hundreds of thousands of pounds to bail out the city's rugby league team as it staggered through financial crises. Now another much-loved part of the soul of the city is in need.

Salford Lads Club is in desperate need of a £250,000 cash injection to stay open.

A fundraiser has been set up to raise vital cash for the institution. To donate, click HERE.