A POPULAR club will re-open today, over five months after it was devastated by the Boxing Day floods.

Baildon Woodbottom Working Men’s Club, just a few metres from the River Aire, was one of the many local facilities that suffered when the river burst its banks after heavy Christmas rainfall.

The club, just off Otley Road near Baildon Bridge, has around 800 members, and at the height of the floods the water had reached the tops of the building’s pool tables.

Club officials say damage caused by the floods has run to about £250,000, which is being paid through the club’s insurance company. The two month refurbishment was carried out by RSJ Building Services.

The club, which will celebrate its 100th year in 2020, has used the refurbishment to modernise the facilities and protect it from future floods, where possible using materials like stainless steel instead of wood to reduce the amount of damage rising river levels would cause to the building.

The club has used temporary facilities to hold certain events on site since the floods, but the official re-opening of the club takes place tonight, and organisers are expecting a full house.

The area around the club was one of the worst hit areas in the district, with local businesses, homes and sports facilities decimated.

Some businesses, including the Half Moon Cafe and the Boathouse in Robert’s Park in Saltaire are yet to re-open.

Craig Brook, a member of the club, said: “It was totally submerged. The club is five foot above the river, but at its height the water was still above the snooker tables.

“After the floods members still kept meeting up at other places, and we have been running off a temporary bar and facilities.

“Pretty much everything has had to be replaced. We’ve also tried to change things up a bit, make things a bit more modern.”

Club secretary Philip Moncaster said: “We’ve done a lot of flood resilience work to alleviate the cost if this happens again. like make the new bar out of stainless steel rather than chip board.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to be insured if we get flooded again.

“The team has done a fantastic job in getting the place fixed up and ready to re-open. They’ve really modernised the place, it looks superb.

“We’re expecting it to be very busy for the re-opening event. It is an important part of the community, especially since so many clubs have vanished.

“We provide a community service, we have bands practice here, choirs coming to practice. We have a function room so lots of people do come here to use the facilities, it is not just us selling beer.”

Tonight’s event is open to members only.