A plea from Sam Thompson has brought fresh attention to efforts to save Tumble Workies, a 133-year-old workingmen's club in the Welsh village of Tumble, Carmarthenshire. The club faces closure because of spiralling costs, but Thompson says he would "love" to help and has pledged to donate money himself.
Reality show Made in Chelsea may be far removed from the small mining community in the Welsh countryside, but one of its stars could now be part of the answer to the club's long-term future. Tumble, nestled between Llanelli and Cross Hands and home to a population of just over 4,000 people, has found an unexpected link to London socialite circles through a local connection.
The Workies in Tumble has been a haven for the south-west Wales village since 1893.
How did Sam Thompson become involved?
Thompson, 34, appeared in a video backing the campaign after being introduced through Welsh businessman Scott Flear, who is from Tumble. Thompson starred in Made in Chelsea alongside his sister, Louise, and was previously a winner of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
In the video, Thompson said heritage mattered and that he wanted to help protect the club.
"I'm not even Welsh, I'm English, but, for me, it's a bit of heritage. You never want to get rid of heritage," Thompson, 34, said in the video.
He said he would "love" to save the Workies and even pledged to donate money himself.
The campaign has taken on extra momentum because Thompson also knows Louise, through whom he met Flear. The connection has given the club a higher profile as local efforts continue to find a long-term solution.
Why is the club at risk?
The Great Mountain Workingmen's Club, to give the Workies its full name, has been part of village life since 1893. Opposite the Mynydd Mawr Colliery - Great Mountain Colliery - the club once provided educational and recreational activities for miners and their families.
But after the pit shut in the 1970s, and with the cost of living what has hit hard for a place that was once a haven for the community, the club has struggled to keep going.
Since 2000, a hard-working committee of members had tried to increase revenue, but the challenges were too great. In 2023, its energy bill quadrupled from £500 a month to £2,500, adding to already severe financial pressure.
The club even had its energy cut off by the supplier because of outstanding debt, and had to run off a diesel generator.
What is the plan to secure its future?
Flear hopes his plan for it to be run by a community benefit society will be successful. He said it would be disastrous if the club went, because so many people have a connection to the place.
"I grew up in that village, my grandfather worked down the mines," said Flear, 33.
"My mother's a cleaner at the club, my family still go there.
"When we think about long-term memories, it's important to keep it."
"It would be disastrous if it goes," he said.
"Everyone's got a big link to that place."
Thrilled that Thompson wanted to back the campaign, Flear said Thompson had told him he would love to help but did not think Welsh people would know who he was. The campaigners say they are still building support day by day.
"He told me he would love to help but didn't think Welsh people would know who he was.
"We're just building momentum every day," he said.
The club's supporters say the wider effort is about more than one building: it is about preserving a shared part of village history and memory tied to the coalfield community that once surrounded it.
Key Facts
- The Great Mountain Workingmen's Club in Tumble, Carmarthenshire, has been part of village life since 1893.
- The club faces closure after 133 years because of spiralling costs.
- In 2023, its energy bill rose from £500 a month to £2,500.
- The club had its energy cut off because of outstanding debt and had to use a diesel generator.
- Sam Thompson, 34, has backed the campaign and said he would donate money himself.
