Members refurbish Rowing Social Club

Outside, the wind raged and the angry surf pounded the beach. All thoughts of staging the already-postponed Bexhill Rowing Regatta had been abandoned the previous evening when visiting clubs had been advised that the new date would be August 17.

Town Mayor Cllr Patrick Douart and his wife and Mayoress, Maureen, were Bexhill Rowing Social Club's guests for a special occasion.

The club had staged an open day to coincide with the hoped-for regatta to show visitors what team-work can achieve.

Between them, members have completed refurbished the ground floor bar.

Introduced by club chairman John Stevens, the Town Mayor cut a ceremonial ribbon across the door to declare the bar re-opened.

He explained how the generosity of a member had enabled the bar to be given a new lease of life and how members had carried out the work.

He thanked Patrick Murphy for his efforts in stripping and decorating the room; Steve Doswell for his craftsmanship with the new woodwork; Pete Whitmore for the electrics and Nick and Wendy Wells for the new curtains.

In a "use it or lose it" plea on behalf of the club, the mayor said he hoped the upgraded bar would succeed in its objective of bringing in new members.

He said he and his wife were delighted to be present and paid tribute to the tireless work of voluntary supporters.

There was a bouquet from the chairman for committee member Margaret Deeprose for her support for the project.

The bar project is seen as a symbol of the club's determination to put difficult times behind it.

The Social Club was formed in 1974 to support the Bexhill Rowing Club; raise money for the rowers and to give them a base for social activities.

Rowers over 16 get automatic membership of the social club.

The Albert Tasker function room was built with the help of volunteers and opened in 1981. A full-time steward was appointed but in 1999 it was found that the club owed nearly 60,000.

With the help of an efficient management committee this was cleared in three years.

Recently, because of the smoking ban and with a number of members not renewing plus the economic climate, the club again fell into debt, though not to the extent of the first time.

Apart from a couple of part-time bar staff, volunteers are once more manning the bar.

A series of social events have brought some more money into the club, but not enough.

Members were requested to give donations, however small, and one member volunteered to pay to have the bar area, which had deteriorated very badly, refurbished in the hope that this would encourage new members and encourage the current membership to use the club more.

Volunteers agreed to redecorate the bar while the furniture was being refurbished.