Cheap supermarket booze, the smoking ban and financial woes have killed off many of the working men's clubs that were a part of British life for decades but there's one in Nottinghamshire that is still going strong despite the ups and downs.
Nottinghamshire Live Life Writer Lynette Pinchess paid a visit to the Old Mill Club in Stapleford, known to generations of locals, which will celebrate its centenary in 2022.
There's a group of men in the corner having a pint and a young mum following her toddler scampering around the room.
"Clubs have died out compared to what there used to be but we are thriving, especially because of the family side of it," says club secretary Debbie Hargraves.
"I've been coming here for about 30 years. My children have been brought up here because it's a family-friendly club and they're now bringing my grandchildren here."
Pool - free on Monday and Tuesday - darts, bingo, quizzes, snooker, karaoke, and live music (set to start up again at the end of this month), means there's always plenty to entertain. Or you can just sit and talk over a pint - or in my case a mug of tea.
The club, tucked away down the bottom of a pot-holed track, has been part and parcel of Stapleford's social scene since officially opening on September 23, 1922.
A former flour mill, the workers used to stay behind on a Friday night to have a drink with the manager. When he died, a covenant in his will stated that the property was left to the staff to be run as a club.
"A lot of people know it as the rat club," says Debbie. "When it was the flour mill, it had the Erewash canal running through it - where the ladies toilets are now. They used to have to open the doors an hour beforehand so the rats could run out."
Thankfully today the only rats are the plastic ones behind the bar, which make an appearance every Halloween.
No one's really sure when it went from just working men to women, children, retired, unemployed, dogs... even horses.
"One of the barmaids has horses so they usually come into the car park. A lot of clubs don't let children in except for a Saturday night. We let them in all the time and we have a children's play area," says Debbie.
Like every other pub and club, the pandemic has taken its toll on the Old Mill - and some of the members have yet to return.
"The pandemic has changed things. It hit us hard. I think a lot of people were missing being able to communicate with people and were missing their friends," Debbie says.
Everyone seems to know each other as they take their seat in the traditional bar room that boasts fruit machines, a jukebox, a pool table and trophy-lined shelves won at pool and dart tournaments.
It's unflashy, unpretentious, down-to-earth and above all, friendly.
Debbie, a 57-year-old garage owner, from Sandiacre, says: "They can relax and have a drink, it's all secure and everybody looks after everybody else's little ones. You have to be 18 to be a member and the oldest member is now 92 so we have a good range.
"We have all sorts of people come in and we welcome anybody."
Despite the cheap beer - John Smith's bitter £2.70 and Carling £3 a pint - the last 20 years have had just two fights... and it was older members to blame.
"A lot of the 20-year-olds like to come down here for that reason. All our staff except one are in their 20s. They feel comfortable in here," says Debbie.
At 23, Matt Welsh, of Nuthall, and Nat Beardall, of Sandiacre, are two of the younger members of the club.
Matt said: "It's like my local now. It's like family, everyone knows each other. The pubs around my end are fancy, too fancy. They're alright to have a quick drink with your mates but no one says hi to you. This has more of a community atmosphere here.
"You'll always have a conversation with someone here. You can put a bit of music on the jukebox or play pool. There's bingo, raffles, I love the place.
"Sometimes on bingo nights, they're like 'shush' but the other nights are amazing, really, really good. Sometimes I'll even come here for parties instead of a night out in town."
Nat, who works behind the bar, said: "Everyone knows everyone so you can come in by yourself and still be able to have a chat. They're all sound here, they're all dead nice. It's a lot cheaper here. A few of our friends have had parties. They put on a big spread in the back room and have a DJ.
"Usually when you get a pub with a close-knit bunch of people, you go in and everyone stops and turns around to look at you. There's none of that. Whenever there are new people in everyone's like 'who is that?' but by the end of the night, it's fine. They're chewing your ear off."
Zulekah Hattersley, 23, from Stapleford, is enjoying a night out with her one-year-old Brody and partner Ian Cobley.
She says: "My mum used to bring me in and her mum used to bring her in. We know everyone in here and when we come in everyone says hello and it's pleasant and there is always someone to talk to. I can come in on my own and it will be fine.
"It doesn't matter who you are, if you walk in someone will talk to you.
"Brody can run around in here and people aren't going to moan at me for it, they're going to talk to him and play with him and it's a very family-orientated pub. I don't have to worry that Brody is shouting, everyone is fine, they don't mind."
Just a fraction of the 238 members are in on a Monday night but the other Friday there were 60. Before Covid it would have been double that.
Non-members are welcome. Campers staying at the nearby glamping site and people on the barges often pop in for a drink. Because it's out of the way, down a track, off a side road, there isn't just anyone dropping in off the streets.
After three times they need to become a member. It costs a far-from-astronomical £6 to sign up and £4 each year after that which goes towards events such as children's parties, Christmas and Easter celebrations, and food which was served at half-time during the Euros.
"Just before lockdown we had the last supper and during the football we had beef dripping chip butties, lamb stew, hot dogs. We're going to be ordering Chinese in later tonight," says Debbie.
One thing you can be sure of, the members will rally to support one of their own going through tough times, whether it's someone injured in a road accident or suffering from cancer.
Debbie says: "In November we did fundraising for a little girl to go to America for treatment for cancer. And in August we have a charity night for pancreatic cancer as one of our members has got it - it brings it home.
"We do whatever we can."
In September there's a pamper day with nails, make-up, piercings and henna tattoos to raise money for Maggie's cancer support centre in Nottingham.
"My daughter's friend died of cancer at the age of 28 but Maggie's were fantastic with her husband and kids so she has carried on fundraising ever since, five years now," says Debbie.
Other community-spirited deeds include an Easter egg drop with Stapleford councillor Richard MacRae, who dressed up as the Easter bunny, and Christmas fundraising around the town with Santa, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and 12 elves.
It wasn't the first time Debbie's husband Dave - or Dust as he's known - had put his handiwork to good use, on this occasion building Santa's sleigh.
It hasn't all been plain sailing. The club was nearly bankrupted when a member allegedly did a runner abroad with £40,000 and has never been seen since.
"It caused a lot of problems but we've managed to get it built back up again. It caused a lot of mistrust," says Debbie.
The club has a homely feel and it reminds me of the Ex Servicemen's Club in Skegness that my dad used to frequent in the 1980s.
With its wooden beams, there's an old-fashioned feel to the Old Mill but it's not as dated as it was pre-lockdown. A £10,000 government grant enabled members to modernise the former pine walls and burgundy decor and replace the 45-year-old boiler.
As well the main bar, there's a backroom for meetings or small parties, an upstairs snooker room and a back garden with children's toys and picnic benches. However, the top floor is out of bounds due to fire restrictions.
"We didn't want to do too much as we don't want to lose the character of the place. We've got the original beams and nuts and bolts. These were put in in 1594 when it was built," says Debbie.
After the hardest year in living memory, members will be making up for it when 2022 comes round. Debbie says: "There's going to be a massive party next year to celebrate the club's 100 years."
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