New private members' club for 'normal people' to open in Milton Keynes town

Two brothers have set up an exclusive private members' club in the heart of Bletchley.

Chris and Ryan McManus, aged 26 and 21 respectively, both run small businesses in MK and have lived in West Bletchley for most of their lives.

"We both realised there are people like us in Milton Keynes who have big ideas but don’t know how to put them into practice. So we decided on the networking bar," said Chris.

Club 124's ethos will be 'Connect, Unwind, Thrive' and the Queensway premises will feature a private bar and lounge, networking spaces and ways to unwind.

"It will be filled with like minded people with big ideas - almost a catalyst for start-ups. It will also host events for its members such as key note speakers and race days," said Chris.

"The club itself will by nature be exclusive and is targeting young entrepreneurs and business people from the local area. There really are currently no places like this that are accessible to normal people."

He said key note speakers will cover a range of topics from education to banking, whisky and philosophy to investments and anywhere in between.

"All events will be voted for by the members themselves. The club will give access to exclusive discounts from retailers around the city as well as connections necessary to help a business flourish. It will help balance out the needs of private and public enterprise."

The brothers, who aim to open Club 124 in August, say the few members' clubs already in MK seem to be "outdated" and don’t really offer their

members value for what they pay in membership.

"Others are simply out of reach for the majority of people. Club 124 targets those who have the business potential to make things happen but simply

yet haven’t got the financial backing or don’t know how to make their ideas a reality," said Chris.

"We feel our prime, tucked away location, in the centre of west Bletchley fits in well with the £2m grant to regenerate it. Its time to start bringing the likes of the people who broke the enigma code back to Bletchley!

"Literally minutes away from the train station, Bletchley has so much unrealised potential. Eventually we would like to see a real nightlife on the high street,"

He added: "There really isn’t much to do in MK for the average person. Its important to ask when a new company pops up, ‘what value is this really adding to the community in which it is situated?’ ‘Is it really giving anything back?’ We feel it is time to bring something with real value to the people in

MK."

"Lastly we have first hand experiences of how difficult it is to set up a business. But once set up, although challenging, the freedom it brings is a real life changer. We want to allow people who have skills to start using them for themselves if they wish."

The brothers say existing business people or "anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit" will be welcome to join the club.

"We understand that there is so much more to a viable business idea than simply having the money to do it so we encourage anyone with ambition to join."

People can view the Club 124 Facebook page and enquire about membership. An application form will be sent out and, if successful, the existing members will invite the applicant to join. Membership will be limited and there could be a waiting list, warn the brothers,