Hope for beloved Manchester club facing eviction as 'important milestone' secured

One of Manchester’s most popular community clubs and grassroots venues has been given a six-week extension after it was handed a surprise eviction notice last month.

The Carlton Club in Whalley Range, which operates as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC), was issued with the notice in August after building operators, owned by a separate entity, stated intentions to run their own business from the premises as early as this month.

The club, which hosts a number of regular events like live music, poetry nights, car boot sales and film screenings, responded to the news with a vocal campaign and petition, which has been backed by the likes of Russell T Davies, Mr Scruff, and Manchester’s night time economy tsar Sacha Lord.

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Doctor Who showrunner Davies previously said the venue had a ‘vital role in nurturing grassroots creative talent’. The club’s petition now has more than 7,000 signatures, whilst a GoFundMe campaign to cover professional fees has surpassed £22,000.

In the latest development, the building company has now handed the club a six-week extension to the eviction notice, which had been due to take effect on Sunday (September 22).

The club, which is hoping to avoid court proceedings, said its focus would now be to help organise fresh negotiations over lease terms and other outstanding issues, including the removal of the social club’s historic shareholding in the Building Company – which has been the subject of a legal complaint to Companies House.

Justin Anderson, Acting Chair of the Carlton Social and Bowling Club CIC, said: “Securing an extension to the eviction notice is an important milestone.

“We want to use the six weeks to agree heads of terms for a new lease with the Building Company, and we remain keen to avoid costly court proceedings. However, we’ve been here before, with multiple failed discussions about options. This time it must be different.

“Ultimately, we want to secure the long-term future of the building and the grounds, for the benefit of the local community.”

Justin said that the board and club members had been ‘blown away’ by the level of support for the Save Our Club campaign in just a short space of time. He added: “It’s been incredibly moving to see the outpouring of love and passion for the Club, and just how much it means to people. It has confirmed what we already knew: that the Carlton Club is a priceless community asset.

“It has taken more than 20 years to get the club to this point, where it is financially stable, used by tens of thousands, open to all, and thriving. We cannot let that be destroyed.”

Despite the eviction threat, the club is continuing to host a number of exciting events, including gigs from big artists. Upcoming shows include a Broken Wings Club event on Sunday (September 29), which will feature a line-up including The View’s Kyle Falconer, Stone Roses’ Aziz Ibrahim, Northern Uproar’s Leon Meya and Radio X’s Sophie Sveinsson.