Having served its community for over 100 years, support from Business Wales has helped a rejuvenated Merthyr Tydfil Labour Club to secure thousands in funding and forecast more than £1 million of revenue in 2024.
Before contacting Business Wales, the future looked bleak for the Club. Like many hospitality businesses, Covid closures, decreased footfall, and energy costs tripling overnight, threatened to close its doors permanently.
Not willing to see the Club call time on her watch, Club Secretary, Marine Bollard, contacted Business Wales for support to help safeguard the businesses and its workforce. Then, as restrictions eased, sights were set on building a brighter and ambitious future.
In January 2023, working with Business Wales relationship manager, Jayesh Parmar, Marine and her team set out to build plans that would ultimately unlock thousands of pounds of funding desperately needed to breathe new life into the historic building and create new revenue streams in the process.
Working in collaboration with Merthyr Tydfil Community Borough Council, Business Wales HR and Decarbonisation advisers have supported the Club to create and implement Equality and Green Growth Pledges. Those plans then became the backbone of successful applications to the Shared Prosperity Fund and Creative Wales’ Music Capital Fund.
With over £55,000 of funding to add to its steadily increasing revenue, the Club set about making significant refurbishments to its facilities, including a complete overhaul of its function hall, the installation of new PA and lighting systems, and exploring options to supplement energy costs with solar panels.
After working with the Merthyr Enterprise Centre, MTEC, and local contractors to conduct renovations while remaining open to customers, the Club has been able to attract a new, younger, and loyal customer base.
Describing the transformation of the Club’s fortune and the role Business Wales have played in supporting that turnaround, Marine Bollard, said: “Before working with Business Wales, this Club’s future was very uncertain. Being able to access support from a range of advisors changed everything for us. We quickly learned that with the right policies and procedures in place, we could make a real business case for why our Club, our community, deserved support that could save us.
“There are a lot of misconceptions with Clubs like ours. People think we only serve older generations, that we’re stuck in the past. Nothing could be further from the truth. We’re working to ensure that this building serves generations to come. Thanks to the support we’ve received we’re already attracting new customers. 2024 promises to be a landmark year for us, with the chance to break £1 million in revenue, but we think it’s only just the start.”
Plans to see the Club grow as it enters its second century of trading show no signs of slowing as Marine and her team put plans in motion to attract bands and entertainers to the venue, market the Club as a wedding venue, and grow their workforce and ability to bolster the local economy.
Business Wales is already supporting the Club to grow its team. Skills gateway advisers have also helped develop plans and provide access to health and safety training to upskill individuals and allow them to return to employment.
Jayesh Parmar, a relationship manager for Business Wales, said: “The moment I met Marine I knew that with the right support, she and her team would work tirelessly to save the business. It has been a real work of collaboration, with multiple Business Wales advisers joining forces with the local Council, and contractors to save this historic community hub for generations to come.
“The turnaround proves that skilled business support experts can help viable organisations create a solid base for growth, even in the most uncertain of times. Their determination should be celebrated, and with the plans they now have in place, I can see the Club’s door remain open for another century.”
For more information and support to help your business discover new supply chain opportunities, and to speak to a specialist advisor, contact Business Wales. Call 03000 6 03000, rydym yn croesawu galwadau’n Gymraeg / we welcome calls in Welsh or visit www.businesswales.gov.wales/