Banbury's GF Sports and Social Club celebrates 50 years entertaining the town

The club marks its half century this Saturday with a gala evening featuring 60s tribute band The New Casuals, with Now and Then – a duo with two of the 19790s resident GF band Harbour – along with Little Miss 60s and The Stingrays.

Bob Tustain, whose late brother Don was manager of the club for many years, said: “GF Sports and Social Club is one of very few remaining social clubs in town and the 50th party is a fitting way to celebrate this milestone.”

As well as providing a social life focus for staff of General Foods (now Jacobs Douwe Egbert) and their families, the club has been used for function room hire and as a venue for classes such as Mary and Roy Barratt’s Banbury School of Dancing.

Many well known bands and sports personalities – especially snooker stars – visited the club to perform to Banbury folk, many of whom had moved to the town in the 1960s and 70s.

General Foods in Southam Road was built for Alfred Bird & Sons’ custard and coffee processing business which moved to the town from Birmingham.

Hundreds of staff recruited from London and Birmingham were given an automatic right to club membership when it opened in October 1972. Minister of Sport Eldon Griffiths cut the tape.

Don Tustin joined the club at the start, originally as a Hammond keyboard player to accompany the cabaret acts performing from Thursday - Sunday every week. The first club manager was Malcolm Lawrence, one of the country’s few professional factory entertainment organisers. Mr Tustain became manager six years later and ran the club successfully until his retirement on New Year’s Eve 2012.

"We must have had 2000 - 3000 members including the spouses,” he said in a 40th anniversary interview with the Banbury Guardian.

“GF was the biggest employer in town, bigger than Automotive Products and Alcan. As automation increased and the number of workers dropped, we opened associate membership.

"The club had a table tennis room, later upgraded with a dance floor and stage - a ballroom function room which remains much the same. And there was a snooker room which still exists and boasts two excellent tables. The club was open seven days a week. It's unique with a nice pleasant atmosphere like a village pub but in town.”

Banbury historian, the late Brian Little said the intention was that the club should become part of a Spiceball Park complex with an arts centre and marina.

He recorded that cabaret nights were held from Thursday to Saturday each week in a packed ballroom.

Visitors included Kenny Ball and his Jazz Band, The Harbour Lights, The Tremeloes and The Animals, for whom entrance was £2. Folk music was catered for and even an Old Tyme Music Hall. Many people’s weekends began with a Friday night disco.

Many fundraisers have been held at the club including Bob Dainty’s gigs to raise over £18,000 for local charities.

GF Sports and Social Club has endured difficult times, not least the ‘floods of the century’ in 1998 and a bid to relocate it by those redeveloping Castle Quay – a move bravely opposed by the club’s committee.