Members of the Woodlane Social Club will be celebrating on Friday as the club marks 70 years since it formally opened in Woodlane House.

The party starts at 7.30pm, with entertainment from a magician followed by music from Unsung Heroes, and there will be a buffet and a bar.

The club started in 1942 when a group of residents connected through Civil Defence formed a club to promote comradeship and provide social amenities for when they were off duty, using a shed in the grounds of Woodlane House as a headquarters, as well as providing support to a number of charities.

Later in 1942 the club was offered the basement of the main house, before it expanded to both basement and ground floors, and members carried out a considerable amount of work to refurbish the building.

In 1946 an enlarged club was officially opened with all necessary licences, and in 1952 the name changed from the Civil Defence Club to the Woodlane Social Club.

In 1967 the club was offered the chance to purchase the property outright, subject to various conditions, and in 1968 it was bought outright.

That led the members and the management committee to formulate plans for major improvements, and an architect was commissioned to provide designs. In 1969 the top floor was converted into self contained flats and the current ground and basement floors were build during a major reconstruction, with all the modifications completed for a formal reopening ceremony in December 1971.

Joe Cox, from the club, said: "Woodlane Social Club continues to be one of the most successful and welcoming clubs in the area and provides a wide variety of activities during the week ranging from ballroom and sequence dancing to discos and jam sessions, together with pool, euchre, bingo, and more."