Campaign briefing · Tumble, Carmarthenshire · updated 5 August 2026

Independent campaign asks Tumble to prove it wants the 133-year-old Workies saved

Local pledges are demonstrating public backing while volunteers test every credible rescue route before the advertised September auction.

The Great Mountain Workingmen's Club — “the Workies” — has stood opposite the old pit gates in Tumble (Y Tymbl), Carmarthenshire since 1893, built and paid for by the miners of the Great Mountain Colliery. Its freehold is now advertised with a £200,000 guide price. The original 10 September auction has been delayed until 15 October 2026, giving the Society time to submit a formal purchase offer through the solicitors beforehand.

Save the Workies was started and is currently coordinated by Scott Flear with local volunteers. Scott is not a member of the club committee. He and committee member Dale Flear share a surname, which has caused some understandable confusion, but Save the Workies is an independent community campaign.

The campaign has received headline takings and reported-cost figures, but not the complete records needed to verify the club's liabilities and trading position. Any community purchase would therefore remain subject to full financial, legal and property due diligence.

The village launched savetheworkies.com with monthly pledges from £2 and a clear first target of £2,500 a month. The figures below are refreshed from the campaign's published payment totals.

212monthly supporters
£1,382pledged every month
£1,118monthly gap still to close

Local businesses are also backing the movement. Esgidiau'r Cwm, the village shoe shop, gives supporters 10% off, while OLP Accountants of Cross Hands offers discounted accounting to supporter-owned businesses. Supporter status does not create legal membership of the existing club or any future organisation.

The club's history reads like the history of the coalfield itself: an 1896 Inland Revenue sting, a fifteen-year licensing war with hostile breweries, a colliery that took 61 village lives — whose funeral teas were poured in this hall — and a village rugby club, the Magpies, that produced three British & Irish Lions and calls the Workies home. Tumble remains one of Carmarthenshire's Welsh-speaking heartlands, with 57% of the village speaking Welsh.

The campaign is now preparing a Community Benefit Society proposal so the members can consider a community-owned buyer alongside any private buyer. Cwmpas is supporting the legal-structure work, and the campaign has held pre-application discussions with WCVA about community-asset finance. The proposal still requires a legal body, full due diligence, a credible operating plan and formal funding approval. No purchase or funding is guaranteed.

Two official Welsh routes are being tested: WCVA's Community Asset Loan Fund advertises loans up to £300,000 for eligible community organisations buying property, while the Welsh Government Community Facilities Programme advertises grants up to £300,000 for eligible community-facility projects, including purchase. Current programme guidance requires match funding. Both routes require a formal application and assessment.

“People have asked who is behind this, and they deserve a straight answer. My name is Scott Flear. I started the campaign, I am not on the club committee, and the shared surname with Dale is the only reason I mention him. Independence leaves us free to test every credible option and work with anyone who can help. Right now we need people to show that they want the Workies saved while we get the facts.”
— Scott Flear, Save the Workies campaign

The story is now attracting wider attention. Sam Thompson, television and radio presenter and the 2023 winner of ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, recorded a campaign appeal. The campaign has spoken with BBC Wales and That's TV Swansea; ITV Cymru Wales and S4C have also made contact about potential coverage. Media interest is not an endorsement by any broadcaster.

Interviews are available with the independent campaign founder and local supporters. Interviews with the club committee and access inside the property must be arranged with them separately. Welsh-language interviews can be arranged.

Useful on-air line: “Go to SaveTheWorkies.com/pledge. Pledge £5 a month if you can—or start with £2.”

Notes to editors

The property
Great Mountain Workingmen's Club, 1 Heol y Neuadd, Tumble (Y Tymbl), Carmarthenshire SA14 6ER. Founded 1893. The registered title names four individuals and records a bank charge; the auction legal pack is awaited.
The movement
savetheworkies.com — live since 18 July 2026. Started and currently coordinated by Scott Flear with local volunteers, independently of the club committee. Scott and committee member Dale Flear share a surname but are not the same person. Monthly pledges start at £2.
The proposal
A new Community Benefit Society as a potential community-owned buyer. It is an option for members to scrutinise, not a completed takeover. No purchase or funding is guaranteed.
Figures
Live supporter and payment figures are published on the homepage. The campaign has received headline takings and reported-cost figures, but any purchase would still require full financial, legal and property due diligence.
Local support
Esgidiau'r Cwm (Tumble) and OLP Accountants (Cross Hands) have offered supporter discounts.
Contact
hello@savetheworkies.com · +44 7854 190921 (Scott Flear)

Assets (free to use, credit “Save the Workies”)