The Eco Hub- Renovation week 1

(Some before and after pictures of the transformation)

After the exciting news broke last week that we had secured our new premises, we’ve been inundated with kind messages. Not only have the local community responded fantastically, but we’ve had lots of enquiries for volunteering opportunities at The Eco Hub! We thank you for all your support, and we will undoubtedly be on the lookout for further volunteers (across all our projects) soon.

We’ll be keeping an occasional update of the renovation of The Eco Hub, the transformation from Ladbrokes betting shop to environmental advice hub. Since receiving the keys last week, the old shop is now unrecognisable. Our Clean and Green team have been working tirelessly, modernising the interior of the Hub. Little evidence would now suggest the premises’ former life (part from the old, disconnected sign). The multi-media racks, AV wiring, tables, betting stations, broken ducting, kiosk, and flooring are gone. Our team are working closely with local tradespeople assessing what will require work and how we can repair and reuse as much of the materials as possible. We’ve also managed to donate many chairs and other pieces of furniture to the St AndReuse project, which is jointly run by University St Andrews Transition and StAndEN. You can find a complete list of items donated back into the community here.

Internally, work has already started on remodelling the layout to include the advice area, plastic-free shop, office area, and kitchen. So far, we’ve found all sorts of mysterious switches and cabling that lead nowhere, which have all been assessed, and, where possible, donated back to environmental reuse schemes. The input from local tradespeople and St Andrews Menshed has been invaluable; their expertise ensures the renovation progresses far faster than was previously anticipated.

The next big job will be installing plasterboards to cover the internal walls. Unfortunately, the existing walls have seen better days (see pictures) and bore the marks of years of service. Despite our best efforts to repair as much as possible, we have been advised to recover these walls.

If you are a local tradesperson and would be willing to volunteer some of your time to help renovate the charity’s new home, please get in touch with us. We also have other volunteering position’s currently available in our Community Garden; don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today to find out more.