'It’s more than bricks and mortar', but soon this beloved club may disappear completely

A social club regarded as one of Manchester’s most popular grassroots music venues has launched a fundraiser after being handed a shock eviction notice.

Independent events space The Carlton Club, on Carlton Road in Whalley Range, is known for playing host to a staggering variety of events. Its offering includes live music, silent discos, poetry nights, record fairs, car boot sales, film screening, yoga classes and even its own Pride event.

For the last five years, the club has operated as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) under the Carlton Social and Bowling Club, whilst the building the club operates out of is owned by a separate entity, the Carlton Social and Bowling Club Building Company Ltd.

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Earlier this month, the building operators issued the club with an eviction notice, stating that they want to run their own business from the premises towards the end of September. It’s a move that club operators say is a 'direct contradiction' of the Building Company’s agreed Articles of Association, which state that its sole purpose should be 'to provide premises from which the club can operate'.

The club has responded to the news with a vocal campaign, including a legal challenge to contest the grounds of the eviction notice. It has also launched a petition which has now surpassed 6,000 signatures, and a GoFundMe raising over £17,000 of its £50k target to cover solicitors’ fees.

“This is a very sad situation," Justin Anderson, acting Chair for the club, said. "The Club and the building company have been closely linked for over 100 years, sharing the same aims – to provide a private