The Smiths frontman Morrissey stepped in to ensure the lights never went out at the youth club made famous by an “iconic” photo from one of the band’s hit albums.
The singer has appealed to Salford Lads Club after their center in Coronation Street warned in November that the club could close without emergency financial help. (Salford Lads Club) donated £50,000.
The club is a listed red brick building that officially opened in 1904 and became famous in Manchester’s music history for its appearance on the inside cover of The Smiths’ 1986 album The Queen is Dead.
The club’s Laura Slingsby said Morrissey’s intervention was “lovely, generous and overwhelming”.
This isn’t the first time the singer has stepped in to help a club, back in 2007 she donated £20,000 in cash to help the club’s owners repair the roof.
Morrissey’s latest donation leaves the club around £40,000 short of its target of raising £250,000 in November. Avoid imminent closure.
Organizers said the money was needed to replenish depleted reserves after maintenance and personnel costs began to exceed budget.
The club, which runs youth programs and soccer teams for boys and girls in the area, was originally a boys-only club opened by Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement.
Morrissey’s donation comes after around £160,000 had been raised, with Salford City Council donating £100,000.
Ms Slingsby said the support was “very exciting” and “really solidified” the feeling that people “want to support young people and the building”.
