My Nephew Is So Sweet With His Grandad
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
August 10, 2012 7:36pm CST
My Dad is feeling very sad at the moment. His local Club is due to close on Sunday and it is something none of us thought possible as it's been open since the 1920s, when Working Mens Clubs were at their heyday. I have been in it myself over the years as they used to put on a Summer Show every year that was the best outside the Town Centre.
Now, my Dad hasn't gone into this Club on a Tuesday night for quite some time as he was threatened one night on his way home..and he hasn't gone in on that night since (but he does go in during the day for a couple of pints) so the fact he even went in this Tuesday night is significant..but sad.
There was another meeting and ideas were banded about as to what will happen with the Club. A guy who owns lots of clubs in the Town centre has expressed an interest and said that if he buys it he WILL retain the bowling green, a site that is currently overgrown with 2 feet of grass as it hasn't been cut and not played on this summer. This is the preferred option but the history of this Club has been littered with corrupt committee members so don't hold your breath that anything will come of it.
Which explains why my Dad was so sad. However, upon my Dad leaving the Club on Tuesday night my nephew offered to walk him home..but he declined. Then, he told him that he would "lay on a taxi" so he could drink with him in the Queen's Pub, which is round the corner, if he so wished in the future, just so he got out of the house.
My Dad is dodgy on his legs you see and cannot walk very far without being in severe pain, despite shopping for food locally.
I know Dad is set in his ways and resists change of any kind but I'm so pleased that my nephew Tom has thought of him and said what he said at such a difficult time.
I only hope the Club can be saved...and it doesn't help that past members are moaning of its demise now. If they'd gone in like my Dad has done and shown their support it wouldn't be closing.
Has anything closed near you that you thought would be around forever?
There was another meeting and ideas were banded about as to what will happen with the Club. A guy who owns lots of clubs in the Town centre has expressed an interest and said that if he buys it he WILL retain the bowling green, a site that is currently overgrown with 2 feet of grass as it hasn't been cut and not played on this summer. This is the preferred option but the history of this Club has been littered with corrupt committee members so don't hold your breath that anything will come of it.
Which explains why my Dad was so sad. However, upon my Dad leaving the Club on Tuesday night my nephew offered to walk him home..but he declined. Then, he told him that he would "lay on a taxi" so he could drink with him in the Queen's Pub, which is round the corner, if he so wished in the future, just so he got out of the house.
My Dad is dodgy on his legs you see and cannot walk very far without being in severe pain, despite shopping for food locally.
I know Dad is set in his ways and resists change of any kind but I'm so pleased that my nephew Tom has thought of him and said what he said at such a difficult time.
I only hope the Club can be saved...and it doesn't help that past members are moaning of its demise now. If they'd gone in like my Dad has done and shown their support it wouldn't be closing.
Has anything closed near you that you thought would be around forever?1 person likes this
4 responses
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
11 Aug 12
Everything changes. Sad sometimes, but true.
I think you're absolutely right to bemoan the fact that members haven't been showing their support. If they had, as you say, then it might not be needing to close. Places need to be commercially viable. It's a sad fact of life.
Your nephew sounds like a star. People need to get out of the house and sometimes they need encouragement to do so.
Near us the local community centre closed. It's been a loss to everyone.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Aug 12
What a shame about your community centre closing. Weren't enough people using it like my Dad's Club?
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
11 Aug 12
Well, several hotels have closed here in Pune. These hotels belonged to Iranians who migrated to India in difficult times. These hotels were here since the '50s, and were local favorite. Even though they were foreigners, they were mixed up here. I have heard 'em speaking local languages without any difficulty. We miss 'em now. I remember, I used to go there with my first girl.... The town has changed, and i am kind of not liking it...
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Aug 12
What a shame! I can feel your pain my friend. It's awful when places we've known and loved for so long close down.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Aug 12
So the service was poor you mean? That's like the Burger King near us. Feel guilty going in actually asking for something so we stopped a long time ago.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (17243)
• China
12 Aug 12
I can understand how your Dad feels.The old people like talking to people that are about the same age.Now the Club has been closed ,Where can they go? The committee in question only pays attention to commercial developement and has no regard for old people's feelings.Nobody knows if there was a behind-the- scenes deal between the committee members and the purse proud merchant.Tom is considerate towards his grandad very much.He knows well his grandad is full of feeling of being lost now.
