Save Our Club: 

Statement from the Carlton Social & Bowling Club CIC Board and Building Company Board.

GOOD NEWS!

Difficult times require bold action, and today we are delighted to tell you that we have taken a major step forward in protecting the future of the Carlton Social & Bowling Club.

As of 6.30pm Monday 25 November 2024, there has been a change of directors at the Carlton Social & Bowling Building Company Ltd, and the Club’s historic shareholding in the Building Company will be restored.

The new directors have voted to stop the eviction notice and move forward with constructive lease discussions for the Club – ending the threat that has been hanging over us.

It’s happened quickly and it’s a lot to take in.  Here’s a bit more detail.

Background

As we all know, the Carlton Social & Bowling Club, a 100-year-old community asset, has been under very real threat of extinction. 

Despite our best efforts and massive public support for the Save Our Club campaign, the eviction notice served by the Building Company remained a live threat and the situation had reached a stalemate. In the 3 months since we launched the campaign, we haven’t even been able to get the Building Company to meet with us.  Our offer of mediation has beenmet with silence.

Alongside this, our complaints to regulators about the Building Company’s unlawful misappropriation of the Club’s shares and improper appointment of directors have not produced any action from the authorities.  This is incredibly disappointing.

With these routes exhausted, and no prospect of any meaningful engagement with the Building Company, we decided we had to take matters into our own hands.  

Our Club is an irreplaceable community asset – we cannot let it be destroyed.  The incredible strength of feeling and support for the Save Our Club campaign is a clear mandate for action. 

Thousands of people benefit from the Club each year, how can a handful of private individuals, most of them with no connection to the Club, decide its future?

In its previous form the Club was run-down and unsafe, with a handful of members.  Under the CIC the Club has transformed it into a thriving community hub, invested more than £100,000 in essential repairs, and has a credible not for profit plan for its future.  

While the Building Company had not stated its intentions in taking over the running of the Club, we strongly believe its motivation was profit not people, with the most likely outcome an attempt to sell off the building and the land.

What we did

In recent days, we have used the mechanisms available to us through the Building Company’s own articles to:

• Restore the Club’s legally appointed directors, Justin Anderson and Chris Fox, to the Building Company, and register these appointments on Companies House
• Hold an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 25 November, at which new directors were appointed (Donna Bradshaw and Joy Wales); improperly appointed directors were removed; and resolutions were passed to restore the Club’s rightful shareholding in the Building Company (618 shares), to stop the eviction and to begin constructive discussions towards a lease.  The directorship of Pauline Balderstone, a legally appointed director and a member of and campaigner for the social club, remains unchanged.

We have not undertaken these actions lightly, but as a last resort.  This was the only remaining route open to us to protect the future of the club.  

Everything we have done is lawful and in accordance with the Building Company’s own articles. We have written to Companies House to inform them of our actions, which we believe are the start to righting historic wrongs and will ultimately put the Club’s ownership back where it should be – in the hands of the members.

What happens next?

The Building Company is now under the control of new directors who will work constructively with the Club to help secure its future. The threat of eviction has passed, and we can look forward to the future with confidence.

However, there is a huge amount of legal and administrative work to be done in the coming weeks and months if we are to fully secure Rowan Lodge and the grounds for future generations.  We still need your support to fund this work, and any legal challenge from the terminated directors of the Building Company.  

It’s an incredibly exciting moment and we want to thank you for your exceptional support, as well as recognising the incredible efforts of our Board members, staff and volunteers, who have all gone above and beyond to fight this fight.

Rest assured that we have always acted, and will continue to act, in the best interests of the Club and our community.

I’m sure you will have lots of questions.  Bear with us and we will answer them, but for now please let’s celebrate this fantastic news! And once again, thank you for your support!

Justin Anderson 

Acting Chair CSBC CIC

Director CSBC Building Company Ltd