Runcorn Club for retired businessmen launches recruitment drive for new members with special ‘open’ event at The Heath

Press Release

Runcorn Club for retired businessmen launches recruitment drive for new members with special ‘open’ event at The Heath Business and Technical Park

Runcorn: May 20th, 2025: A club for retired businessmen in Runcorn is to stage a special event at The Heath Business and Technical Park to canvass for new members. Runcorn Probus, part of the national and global ‘Probus’ network, is targeted towards retired and semi-retired professionals to provide an environment in which to meet, make new friends, swap ideas and socialise at the end of work careers.

Probus Clubs function in town and cities around the world with each individual club responsible for deciding whether membership is exclusively male, female or both. Runcorn Probus was launched over 40 years ago under the umbrella of the former ICI corporation which at the time was the biggest employer in the town. It was set up as a men-only club.

Current Chairman Ernie Tarn, a retired teacher and Social Services Training Manager, says: “Runcorn Probus was originally set up exclusively for male retirees which is a formula that still exists for its regular programme of monthly meetings, though special events, visits and social activities are open for men and women to attend. To become a member of Probus you must be retired or semi-retired, therefore people are generally in their sixties by the time they join us. Naturally, as a well-established club, we have lost a number of elderly members over the years.  Indeed, over the past year or so we’ve seen numbers reduce by nine members as a result of age-related illnesses. Our numbers are therefore dwindling which is something we need to urgently address.”

Consequently, their monthly meeting at The Heath on Tuesday, July 8^th is open to local businesses of all shapes and sizes to attend. The guest speaker will be former coalminer Gary Conley with his recollections of the changing nature of holidays. Gary was a miner at Sutton Manor Colliery in St Helen’s for 19 years before he was made redundant in 1991. He had initially worked underground before transferring to the pit surface after securing a management role.

“We hope that lots of businesses will come along to find out more about Runcorn Probus and the benefits our club can bring to men who have retired or have partially retired from work. The only proviso is that they must have worked and/or lived locally in Runcorn. Through these businesses, we hope word will spread among their network to retired former employees to enable us to reach out and recruit new members,” says Ernie.

“We have lots of activities for recently retired gentlemen who want to meet new people, share knowledge and experiences, go on interesting visits and trips or attend lively social occasions. We hope that people currently working in business will come and join us on July 8th to learn about Probus and go back and tell their old former colleagues about us.”

John Lewis MBE, owner of The Heath, says: “As a club that evolved from the old ICI operation, it’s appropriate Runcorn Probus holds many of its meetings and events at The Heath which was once a key site for ICI in the town.  Our site is now home to more than 100 business enterprises and our team will certainly be spreading the word among our network of business contacts. The club’s membership also has broader social and mental welfare benefits which aligns with all the community activities we stage at The Heath that focus on combatting loneliness and mental health issues.”

To find out further information please email Ernie Tarn and the Runcorn Probus team at runcornprobus84@gmail.com

About The Heath

The Heath Business and Technical Park is a phenomenal regeneration success story. Formed in 2000, its owner and operator, SOG Ltd, has transformed a once single occupancy corporate facility into a thriving independent business park. The Heath now provides office and laboratory accommodation for around 125 individual organisations, ranging from business services and IT specialists to those at the cutting edge of science, research and advanced manufacturing.  The Heath supports around 2,000 jobs. For further information, telephone 01928 515988 or visit www.theheath.com

Issued on behalf of The Heath Business and Technical Park,

Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 4QX – Part of the SOG Group

Media contact:

The Heath: Paul Smith Associates (PSA) 07771 623 007

E-mail: paul@paulsmithassociates.co.uk