Shut this summer, Smiths Social Club at the Three Ways could return as The Manor Social Club, run by its members. Here is their plan, and what it meant to them.

Members of Smiths Social Club at the Three Ways Community Centre in Borehamwood have launched a campaign to reopen it themselves, after the club was shut without warning during the summer. They want to bring it back on the same site as a community-run club under a new name, The Manor Social Club.

The club had been at the heart of social life in the south of the town since the 1960s, its members say. With the Directors Arms closed seven years ago, it was the last live entertainment venue in the south of Borehamwood. Hundreds of people have signed a petition to save it, a Facebook page has been set up, and the campaign says a crowdfunding page will follow to raise the money to relaunch it.

The details here come from a press release written by members of the club and sent to us by Cllr Dan Ozarow, ward councillor for Borehamwood Kenilworth South on Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council. The release does not say who closed the club or why, and members say they were not told either.

A packed meeting and a new name

Up to 100 members and supporters went to a public meeting at the Toby Carvery last week, including Cllr Ozarow, a former Town Mayor. Members there pledged their own professional skills and volunteer time to the relaunch, under the slogan “Built by the community for the community.”

Their business plan for The Manor Social Club puts social value and a broad range of community needs alongside financial sustainability, the campaign says. The club has hosted wedding celebrations, charity fundraisers and children’s parties for decades, and its Sunday afternoon “Play Your Cards Right” was especially popular.

The founding members of the new club put out this appeal:

“We urge local residents, councillors, community organisations, and decision-makers to recognise what is at stake. This is not just about preserving a building; it is about protecting the social fabric of our town. We need support, ideas, and action to ensure this treasured institution remains open and continues to serve the community it has faithfully supported for over sixty years. If you have ever attended an event here, met a lifelong friend here, celebrated a special occasion here, or simply enjoyed the sense of community it provides, now is the time to speak up.”

“A community is defined not only by its streets and buildings but by the places where people come together. Let’s not stand by and watch one of those places disappear. Together, we can keep this club alive for the next generation and beyond.”

The builder who never got to enjoy it

The building on Manor Way was rebuilt in 2002, partly by local people’s own hands. One of them was Tony Williams, a local builder, who died three weeks after the new club opened. His partner, Debbie Dickins, is still a member.

Tony Williams in a white hard hat, work jacket and boots, holding a pickaxe on a building site with scaffolding and stacked bricks behind him
Tony Williams on site during the 2002 rebuild of the club. Photo: supplied by the campaign to save the social club

“To most people, the social club on Manor Way is just a building,” Debbie says. “But to me, my family, and my grandchildren, every brick holds a piece of our hearts.

“This club has been our sanctuary for decades. Long before the current building stood, it’s where Tony and I brought our children for weekend afternoons, summer sports days, and family laughs. It was our home away from home.

“So when the venue was rebuilt in 2002, Tony didn’t just watch from the sidelines. As a local builder, he put on his workwear and put his own hands into constructing it, making sure South Borehamwood had a proper place to gather.

“Tragically, just three weeks after the new club opened, Tony passed away suddenly from an undetected heart condition right inside the building he had just helped build. We were left completely devastated.”

A brass plaque on a brick wall reading: In memory of Tony Williams, 1954 to 2002, for his big part of the construction of this building, missed by many
The plaque to Tony Williams on the club building. Photo: supplied by the campaign to save the social club

“Even through our grief, this club stayed our family’s safe space. Coming through those doors was a comforting reminder of what Tony helped create for us and our town. It’s where our kids raised their own children, making memories at summer fun days on the bouncy castles. It’s where my son and his wife hosted their daughter’s birthday party, carrying the tradition down to my grandchildren. It’s also where my granddaughters hold special memories of their late dad, who we lost in 2022.”

Her parents lived on Manor Way for more than 60 years, she says, and with 11 children spread from Bristol to Portsmouth and Milton Keynes, the club was where the whole family gathered every year for her father’s birthday: four generations, in a photograph the Borehamwood Times once printed.

“Today, this club is my absolute lifeline. Coming here every weekend stops the walls from closing in. Whether we were playing ‘Play Your Cards Right’, celebrating VE Day, bringing the kids to Santa’s Grotto, or watching live sports, it brought our whole community together under one roof.

“When the doors were quietly locked without any explanation to the members, it felt like losing a piece of Tony and a piece of our history all over again. We didn’t just lose a venue; our community lost its living room.

“Our social club is a legacy built by local hands for local people. It has stood by us through our happiest milestones and our deepest grief, and it is a legacy worth fighting to save.”

“A place where a woman could walk in on her own”

Maureen Blythe, 85, is the club’s longest-standing member, and has used it regularly since 1966. She was one of the many people who “bought a brick” in the original scheme to get the club started, and served on its committee for many years.

An older man in a blue checked shirt and cardigan sitting beside an older woman in a patterned top and beaded necklace, both smiling, with balloons behind them
Maureen Blythe with her late husband at their golden wedding anniversary party at the Three Ways. Photo: supplied by the campaign to save the social club

“It has always been a place to meet up with friends and family and socialise,” she says. “A place where a woman could walk into on her own and feel safe and comfortable. As a family we have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and sadly family funerals over the years.

“It is a place that offers me comfort and solace where I can reflect on friends and family passed while still enjoying the company of others. My late husband and myself have always been very active members, joining in all the social functions arranged in the old and new building. This is the only place to socialise on this side of Borehamwood.

“I am no longer as mobile as I would like to be, so it is important for me to be able to walk the short distance to the social club with my family to be able to enjoy time with them and other friends. It is a big part of my week and something I look forward to.”

She also has an idea for the new club. “The previous owner did ask me to enquire with friends if they would be interested in setting up an OAP club one or two afternoons a week, which I had a really good response to. Unfortunately, this did not go ahead, but it is something I am still very interested in supporting and being a part of.”

Her golden wedding party was enjoyed by four generations of her family, and her great-granddaughter Lilah’s first birthday was celebrated at the Three Ways too.

A woman in glasses holding a baby girl with a large red bow in her hair
At the first birthday party of Maureen Blythe's great-granddaughter Lilah at the Three Ways. Photo: supplied by the campaign to save the social club

“The Three Ways has been my village”

Jade Storey spoke directly to the club’s members:

“What is the saying? It takes a village to raise a child. The Three Ways has been my village. You have all embraced and taken my son Alfie under your wings. Through babyloss, IVF, pregnancy and Alfie arriving in this world. You have all been there for me and I am so grateful.”

A group of women posing together in a room decorated with blue and white balloons, one of them holding a baby
Jade Storey's baby shower for Alfie. Photo: supplied by the campaign to save the social club
A black and white dog wearing a bandana printed with the words Soon to be Big Sister
Dotty the dog waits for Alfie's arrival. Photo: supplied by the campaign to save the social club

What it means for you

  • If you used the club, the campaign is asking you to speak up now: sign the petition, follow the Facebook page and share what the club meant to you.
  • If you have skills to offer, members are pledging professional expertise and volunteer time to run The Manor Social Club, and are asking for ideas and practical help.
  • The crowdfunding page to raise the capital for the relaunch has not opened yet. We will report it when it does.
  • Councillors and decision-makers are named in the appeal directly: the members want them to recognise what the south of the town has lost.

The campaign’s communications are being handled by club member Karen Nagy. If you are part of the campaign or have news of the club’s future, write to us at hello@borehamwoodpost.co.uk.