A historic Doncaster working men’s club is to re-open in time for the new football season following a major refurbishment after battling back from the threat of closure.

Hyde Park Working Men’s Club, which dates from 1901, was threatened with closure two years ago – with a £54,000 fundraising campaign launched to save it.

Now the club will bounce back with an opening party on August 2 – the day Doncaster Rovers start their League One campaign against Exeter City at the nearby Eco Power Stadium.

The club, on Carr House Road, has long been a favourite with supporters and a club spokesperson said: “We have undergone a major refurbishment in order to try and keep the club going.

Hyde Park WMC is bouncing back after a major overhaul.

placeholder image — Hyde Park WMC is bouncing back after a major overhaul.

“The club has been in existence since 1901 and it's been touch and go for a few years on if it will survive or will end up another statistic of a closed working mens club.

"The games room which has been here since 1974 has been been taken back to brick with new electrics, flooring, walls taken down and fully opening the room up.

"It's really an exciting time for the club itself to regenerate and bring a hub back to the community and Doncaster.

"There's a lot of history in the club and we are happy we have found a way to keep it going for the next generation.

”And we are keeping the two snooker tables which have been a staple of the room for decades too.”

In 2023, a funding appeal was launched to save the club with organisers blaming the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

Campaign organiser David Jackson said: "Hyde Park WMC is a testament to the power of Hyde Park and our wider community, is about friendship and inclusivity and is continuing to play a vital role in members’ lives and has continued to serve members past and present as a symbol of resilience, unity and belonging.”

The current building is more than 50 years old, and in 2012 celebrated its 40th anniversary. Designed in early 1970s style, the building’s frontage is made of hundreds of clear glass blocks, with an array of red, green, yellow and blue glass cubes as its centrepiece.