Delaney's Club officially opens in Wantage

Delaney's Club has been in the works since May this year and finally reopened in the former Shush club in Newbury Street on Bank Holiday weekend.

The new club, which professes to be LGBTQ+ friendly, promised a nightclub, bar and cafe serving afternoon tea, bottomless brunches, and band nights in a venue with a 600-person capacity.

Picture by Delaney's Club

A spokesperson for the club said all the staff members “absolutely rocked it” on opening night (Friday, August 26) which cost £5 per person to enter.

They said: “It was non-stop from the moment we opened the doors until 4am when we all collapsed on the VIP sofas, in exhilarating exhaustion and buzzed about how the night went. 

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“We hit capacity very early in the night. Our security team from Interlink mentioned that it was one of their favourite venues to work at with very little issues and a great atmosphere. 

Picture by Delaney's Club

“We met the street Pastors on the Saturday, who we are very lucky to have in Wantage. They are a group from the local church who hand out flip-flops, water, lollies and generally make sure everyone is safe and happy at the end of the night when leaving.

“Our intent is to keep this good relationship with the street Pastors and coordinate a safe, happy nightlife experience for Wantage.”

One partygoer commented on the club’s new Facebook page adding: “The place was buzzing, so many people on the dance floor. Congratulations, we need you.”

Picture by Delaney's Club

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The owners of the newest club are Neil Delaney – after whom the club is named – and Terry Frankum, from Wantage, and together they plan to bring "life back" to the town.

The club is Mr Delaney and Mr Frankum's first venture together.

The news of Delany's Club opening, which was announced earlier this year, came after clubbers in Wantage were left devastated when the popular Shush club unexpectedly closed citing financial problems during the pandemic in 2020.

Shush owner Steve Head took to Facebook when the club was forced to close in June 2020.

He said: "With a very heavy heart our family has decided that the doors to Shush will remain closed."

Picture by Delaney's Club

He added: "We will not be reopening we are so sorry, and we are absolutely devastated that we have to announce this."

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Mr Head said the main reason behind the decision was the pandemic but added that there were other factors like coronavirus insurance claims and agreement with the landlord over rent payments.

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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