A WORKING men's club in Darlington is celebrating its history with a memorabilia lounge.

The Heritage Lounge, at the Darlington Club and Institute, in High Northgate, is a celebration of the club's 100-year history.

Darlington Mayor Isobel Hartley sampled what the club has to offer, including a game of bingo, when she opened the lounge on Wednesday.

Club secretary Doug Heseltine said: "The mayor came to visit during our centenary celebrations and expressed an interest that she would like to return once the lounge was complete.

"We went one better than that and asked her if she wanted to open it.

"The club has an interesting history and we wanted to reflect that in the lounge."

The club, the oldest working men's club in Darlington, was awarded a £1,000 heritage grant towards the refurbishment of the lounge during its centenary celebrations last year.

The walls are covered in memorabilia from the club's opening in 1901 until the present day, including certificates, photographs and copies of pages from the 1901 Census.

The club's opening was performed by the Darlington MP Herbert Pike Pease. It started with 160 members.

More than 1,000 men and about 400 women are now members. The ladies' section was formed in 1971.