FORMER members of Bolton Lads and Girls Club will be reunited as the organisation celebrates its 125th birthday.

Youngsters who went to the club, volunteers, mentors, patrons and staff of yesteryear will come together at the reunion event on Saturday, November 22, to help mark the anniversary.

The club in Spa Road has launched the BLGC Past-Present Future Society and has begun setting up an alumni programme for anyone connected with the club.

At the reunion event, which runs from 1pm to 4pm, everyone associated with the club will be invited to meet up with old friends, share memories and take along photographs and enjoy reflecting on the success of the club over the last 125 years.

Chief executive Karen Edwards said: “It gives me great pleasure to celebrate 125 years of service to the youth of Bolton.

"Many things have changed over the years, but the club’s dedication to providing young people with a safe place to spend their spare time remains at the heart of what we do.

"To mark the occasion we would like to celebrate with the whole community, specifically people who have great memories of the club.”

Initially an old warehouse in Bark Street, the “Lads Club” opened in 1889 as a hostel where young mill workers were able to wash, eat and sleep in peace away from their looms.

Fast-forward to 2014, and the children and young people of Bolton are continuing to benefit from the legacy the club’s founders left for the town.

The club now has more than 6,000 members who have “somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to” — and is the largest youth centre in the UK.

More information on the celebrations is available from Suzanne Wheeler 01204 540101.