Knights of St Columba announces closure of Burnley's 110 Club

A decision to shut the 110 Club, which has been based in Yorkshire Street for 61 years, was taken at an emergency general meeting of the Knights of St Columba last night. The KSC Club moved from a small property on back Manchester Road to its current home n May, 1962. It will be closed by this weekend. Council 110 Grand Knight, Tony Young described the shock announcement as a ‘very sad day.’

He said: “ I’m afraid the club has suffered from a loss of its traditional clientele and it has been impossible in current trading conditions for the club to take enough money over the bar to pay all the bills. The last few months have not been helped by restricted access as a result of the construction work at our front door. We are very grateful for the sympathetic approach taken by some of our suppliers, but there are really no prospects for us to increase trade to the level that would be required.

“We are also grateful for all our members and customers who have supported us for 61 years. Over that time we have seen parties for weddings, baptisms, birthdays and funerals. We have been a consistent venue for live music and have had some well-known names appearing at the club including Mike Harding (at Burnley Folk club), Les Dennis, Frank Carson, Jimmy Cricket, Emile Ford and even a punk rock group. “Our children have often had their first experience of work here and we thank all the people who worked and volunteered here over the years. “We provided a lot of sporting activities for our members, including football, cricket, table tennis, snooker and darts teams. Unfortunately, in recent years, the number of teams have diminished which in turn has contributed to the decline in club use. We have also welcomed thousands of football supporters on their way to and from Burnley FC matches.

Since it opened the venue has been the base for the KSC for its community, spiritual, social and sporting activities. Over time, the club expanded into adjacent properties and, on a number of occasions, redeveloped all three floors of the building. At the present time, the club has a multi-purpose lounge on the ground floor, a function room on the first floor and a games room on the top floor. The club has been the base for the KSC fundraising activities and members have raised thousands of pounds for local, regional and national charities - most recently the Handicapped Children’s Fellowship and the Georgia Fourie Butterfly Fund at Holly Grove School.

Mr Young pointed out that the closure of the club would not be end of the Knights of St Columba in Burnley as it prepares for its centenary in 2025. He added: “We will continue with our work and intend that the money raised from the sale of the property will enable us to continue to support the Roman Catholic Church, our schools and other good causes and KSC 110 will continue to fund raise for charities.”