Glamis Hall consists of a wellbeing centre for the over 50s, a large sports hall with a kitchen and servery, a community meeting room, and sports changing rooms. After being closed by Wellingborough Borough Council in 2014, Glamis Hall reopened as a charity run by volunteers and relatives of clients in January 2015. The Hall’s many daily visitors, who range in age from 51 to 103, help to decide the programming.
Regular activities include a Monday to Friday lunch club, yoga, raffles, and bingo. They have a shop on site and host visits from hairdressers, optometrists and district nurses– making it easy for their clients to access the services they need with minimal travel. Glamis Hall’s mission is to provide an affordable community hub for the residents of the Borough of Wellingborough and the surrounding areas.
Since it reopened, costs at Glamis Hall have been kept low at less than half the cost of other day centres nearby. With energy prices on the rise, costs for the organisation were likely to increase, and as the running costs are mostly funded by the payments from clients, so were the costs for the clients. Since Glamis Hall is intent on being an ethical and sustainable organisation, it was a “no brainer” for them to look into installing solar panels.
They put their name in the running for a funding initiative by M&S Energy CEF as they were looking for funding to help them buy solar panels. Glamis Hall engaged with the community and secured funding from M&S with 78,837 votes cast by members of the public! The grant from the M&S Energy CEF enabled Glamis Hall to install solar panels on the roof of the centre. The installation took roughly one week and the first switch-on happened on the same day as the annual staff, volunteer and client Christmas party, where they made a big announcement to everyone who came.
For many local residents, the installation also offered a chance to learn more about energy efficiency in general and solar panels in particular. Many have since gone on to make changes in their own lives, such as having smart meters installed.
Since the installation, Glamis Hall are generating much of their own energy – helping to reduce the cost pressure and ensuring funds can be spent on projects for local people. The installation also enabled Glamis Hall to secure a further grant in order to
purchase electric cars that are being used to transport clients to and from the hall and on excursions.
Glamis Hall didn’t stop there, they have made further changes that help make the centre even more energy efficient, including switching to low energy LED lighting throughout the facility and installing double glazed windows. Together with an array of services provided, including their recycling, Glamis Hall is truly sustainable for all!