Penn Club lives on at St Katharine’s
'Plans include a garden party in the summer. Celebrations for its 2020 centenary had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.'
Around one third of members of the Quaker-founded Penn Club have transferred to its new home at the Royal Foundation of St Katharine. The historic Bloomsbury club was forced to close in March 2021 due to Covid-induced financial difficulties.
Fergal Crossan, former general manager, told the Friend: ‘Over 300 members transferred their membership to St Katharine’s, which is more than we thought initially. We always had around 1,000 to 1,100 members, but during 2020 membership dropped quite significantly to around 750. We are hoping that number will grow once more people feel safe to travel again. I am still involved in helping the new Penn Club social committee. We have had a number of successful events in 2021 and have a calendar of events for this year.’
Plans include a garden party in the summer. Celebrations for its 2020 centenary had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. According to the newsletter, staff have managed to find other employment, while some have returned to their home country.
The entire staff team at the club on Bedford Place was made redundant last March, only days after the club revealed that it had found a new home. The club was opened by the Friends Ambulance Unit in 1920.
