A transformation with a kick!
Mermaid Panels are excited to have recently completed a project with the charity W3ST and Startahven Dynamo FC, where we saw our shower panels fitted into their brand-new changing rooms.
W3ST, Whiteshawgate 3G Sports Trust, is a community project supported by Strathaven Rugby Club and Strathaven Dynamo Football Club. The charity was first set up in 2015 by Grant Law and a board of trustees, after identifying a great opportunity to refurbish a run-down field at Strathaven Rugby Clubs’ training grounds into a full, floodlit pitch for the football and rugby clubs. Having fundraised an incredible £670,000, the Strathaven sports clubs cut the ribbon for their new pitch in 2017, welcoming their players into their all-weather training facility. And that’s no small feat – Strathaven Football and Rugby club supports 500 young players, with over 125 adult volunteers who manage over 25 team across both clubs!
Since the grand opening the football club in particular has grown from strength to strength, now welcoming players as young as 5, with competitive, women’s only, amateur and an over 35’s team training weekly. With so much to offer and so many members using the pitches, the team at W3ST and the players at Strathaven Dynamo FC began to realise that they could take this project further.
With their incredible 3G football pitch, W3ST could see even more possibility to extend the re-development to their changing rooms. Currently relying on the Rugby Clubs’ changing rooms, the football team needed their own space, so they got back to what they do best: pulling together the community and partners to make it happen. Last year, having raised £140,000, the team at W3ST and their partners got to work – in between the ever developing Covid-19 guidelines – to turn around their brand-new changing facilities within three months. And that’s where we come in!
With COVID delaying the build and costs subsequently getting tight, Patrick Flood – a player, coach and volunteer committee member of the club and one of our Scottish Area Sales Managers - stepped in to help. Patrick helped to supply 14 of our Brushed Steel Grey panels that could be used in their toilet area. Not only would this help keep costs down but our panels would provide quality materials with the longevity that Strathaven football club needed.
There are countless benefits to having shower panels in a toilet enclosure: they’re quick to install, 100% waterproof, but most importantly for W3ST, they are more hygienic to maintain as only a soft cloth and soap is needed to wipe them down. Grant Law, Chairman of W3ST explained that ‘with the changes that the pandemic has brought to our teams, we now more than ever are aware of the importance of hygienic and quick to clean changing rooms. Mermaid Panels was a great addition to this as they can be wiped down easily in between training sessions’.
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With the recent lockdowns delaying opening a few more months, the new changing rooms were officially opened on Sunday 18th April. Great timing for the teams of Strathaven to restart their training as Scotland lifts its lockdown measures.
Talking to Grant, it’s clear that the football and rugby clubs are the heartbeat of the community. Not only do the grounds host Mother and Baby, fitness and running classes outside of training times, but the team ensure that the pitches are left unlocked all year round so that it can be used as a community space for those who need it. The project for the changing rooms we’re sure is just one of many steps that W3ST will be taking to continue improving the quality of training at Strathaven club, and we’re proud to have been a part of such an impactful renovation.
We’re sure it’s not the last we will hear of Grant and the teams. To keep an eye on what they’re getting up to next, or to learn more about W3ST and the project, have a look at their website: http://w3st.org/.