Final farewell for city business club

Present and past members shared memories of the group at the open forum in the Mount Hotel in Mount Road, Tettenhall Wood on Wednesday.

The club originally formed in 1985 and held its meetings at the Goldthorn Hotel until 2016 when it moved to the Mount.

Chairman Richard Bourne said 22 people attended the final breakfast.

"It was sad to finish after nearly 40 years, but times have changed.

"The club fitted in well in the mid-80s because everyone wanted to be out and about and breakfast clubs like outs were thriving.

"Sadley it had to come to an end. There had been a gradual decline in numbers attending with social media and chsanging working habits contributing, but it was Covid that was the straw that broke the camel's back because we wouldn't meet for so long," explained Mr Bourne, a director of Virtual Financial Planning in King Street.

The club was attracting more than 40 to its breakfasts at its peak but numbers have dwindled down to around a dozen in recent months.

The Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Mike Hardacre, was the club’s final speaker at its November meeting.

There was no speaker for the final meeting to allow those attending, many of whom have retired, to share memories.

"A lot of us have shared e-mail addresses and contact details so we can meet up every now and then," added Mr Bourne.

He said members had agreed that any final monies will go to The Haven in Wolverhampton which supports women and children who are victims of domestic abuse.

The club had supported many city charities over the years and raised thousands of pounds to help them.