Social club transforms its lighting through SaveMoneyCutCarbon Foundation

A Scottish social club has transformed its lighting with the help of the SaveMoneyCutCarbon Foundation.

The project to update the lighting with energy-saving LED seemed a perfect fit with the aims of the SaveMoneyCutCarbon Foundation, which strives to make a difference in local communities, promoting a sustainable way of living, while also saving money.

Saltcoats Labour Club is on the west coast, about 30 miles from Glasgow and for decades has been a social hub for the town, which takes its name from the time when salt was harvested from the sea water of the Firth of Clyde, carried out in small cottages along the shore.

SaveMoneyCutCarbon has worked with the club’s chairman John Watt when he wears his “professional hat” as engineering manager of a top hotel in Glasgow and was keen to help when he described the problems with the old lighting.

Old light fittings

A main problem with the lighting was its age and quality. The inefficient old fittings were at least 25 years old and a number of fittings only had two or three tubes working.

With the help of the Foundation, the social club was able to change 22 old four-tube fluorescent fittings with new 600 x 600 LED panels in the main hall, hallway, office and ladies toilet, while also receiving around 30 other energy-saving LED lamps, for wall and ceiling spots.

The new lighting will be much more energy-efficient and so should make a big impact on the club’s electricity bills.

John Watt explains:

“Our main hall holds about 150 people and we have a bar area where we can accommodate approximately 50 people. We do a lot of bingo, funerals, private events and we have live entertainment every Saturday.

Cabaret time

“Our clientele are of the more mature ages, some of which have been coming for over 30 years – they are complaining – light heartedly – that they can see all of their wrinkles in the toilets now, due to the new lights!”

The Saltcoats club tries to put on a cabaret every couple of months to try to get all ages involved and attract more people to use the facilities.

“The committee work tirelessly – all non-paid volunteers – and strive to keep the club open in these times where many pubs and clubs are closing. We know that without their club many of the older members would have nowhere to socialise.

“The difference with the new lighting is like ‘night and day’. The club is situated at the top of our town where our main hall faces the roadway.

“When it is dark and there are no lights on in the hall it can be perceived that the club is closed. We are happier to keep the lights on in the hall now that we have changed over to LED.

“I’d to thank the Foundation for their assistance and generosity in supplying the club with new LED lights. They look great and the electricity bill should now start to show our savings.”

Charlie Farr, SaveMoneyCutCarbon Foundation chairman said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be supporting Saltcoats Labour Club with its new lighting and trust they will flourish with them. We know how important these social clubs are for the local community and wish them all the best for the future.”