Much-loved Mansfield club Boothy's closes

Jeff and Jenny Booth bid a tearful farewell to life behind the bar at their club, Boothy’s on West Hill Drive, with a party on Saturday evening.

The dedicated pair, who are 70 and 69-years-old respectively, decided it was time to retire following health problems for Jeff.

A tearful Jenny said: “It was very difficult to make but our health comes first, and it’s time to have time for us.

“How many people are still working at 70?

“It’s heart-wrenching and we’ll really miss all the people. It’s been really hard work but everyone has been lovely over the years.”

Jeff added: “It’s been lovely, you get families with a club, rather than customers in pubs.

“I still love the trade, and I think it’s the love of people. I’ll be sad to see it go.

“We’ve had some laughs and some touching moments, and it was a very difficult decision to make.”

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The couple have both been in the pub and club trade together for more than 40 years.

They ran the Portland Arms and Bowl in Hand during the 1970s, before moving to Derbyshire and then retuning to Mansfield at The Westfield pub.

They then took over The Yew Tree on Woodhouse Road, which has long been demolished.

But it was the lure of clubland that led them to buying the old Labour Club on West Hill Drive, and renaming it after themselves.

Even during the 1990s social clubs continued to thrive, enjoying healthy membership numbers attracted by cut-price beer, weekly bingo, meat draws, cabaret nights and trips to the seaside during the summer.

A series of law changes then dealt major blows to the industry including the smoking ban, relaxed opening hours and the ever-rising price of beer compared to supermarket prices.

The changes meant many pubs and clubs were forced to close due to dropping trade.

For Jeff and Jenny, who had no brewery to answer to and using their knowledge and experience, they have managed to keep their business afloat, although they are uncertain if social clubs could ever flourish again like in the decades gone by.

“I think attitudes have changed and life is different to what it used to be,” added Jeff. “A lot of clubs have changed because of it.

“There was always the community spirit in clubs, but let’s face it, if you can come home from work and you can get 20 cans of beer from the supermarket for £10, why would you go to pay the prices at pubs or clubs?

“There was a time when you could line 20 pints up on the bar and they’d be queuing up to get in, you wouldn’t get that now.

“When I first started in this industry you could buy 16 pints for a pound, you couldn’t get half a pint for that now.”

It is expected that the club building, which is on the market, is likely to be bulldozed to make way for development.