The Working Men's Club and Institute Union (The CIU or The WMCIU) 

is an association of private members' clubs in Great Britain and  Northern Ireland. They have 3000 associate clubs and most of the social clubs are affiliated to the CIU.

There are Village Clubs, Royal British Legions, Labour, Liberal Clubs, and various other clubs.

As a Member of a CIU Affiliated Club

you will be entitled to use the facilities of all other CIU clubs, although they will only be entitled to vote in committee elections in clubs where they are full members.

The CIU has 2 main purposes:

to provide a voice at national level for working men's clubs and social clubs; to provide discounted products and services for members.

CIU Social Clubs

come in various sizes, from the grand entertainment halls (Sunbury Ex-Services Club for example) with multiple bars, to the small Village Clubs for example with 1 bar. Typically, clubs have at least 1 bar, snooker and pool tables and also at least 1 Dart Board.

Snooker, Pool, Darts teams compete in local leagues. Some clubs may also have teams in other sports such as Football, Golf, and Fishing. Many larger clubs also have a working Cafe / Kitchen where, burgers, chips and other hot food can be bought on entertainment nights or lunch times.

Many CIU Clubs have a practice,

(considered outdated by some people), by which females are not allowed in the bar. However, a few clubs have relaxed this rule. Often, there will be a room called "the lounge" with a casual seating area and a bar, for people who just want a quiet drink.  They will often provide entertainment such as bingo, raffles, live music, comedy, and cabaret nights. Acts, or turns, usually perform in a room designated as the concert room. Many of the famous British comedians of the 1960s and 1970s started their careers performing on the northern Working Men's club circuit.