OBSERVATIONS FROM SCOTLAND

I'm a member of the Elderslie Amateur Radio Society. We currently meet each Thursday evening at the Elderslie Village hall, but things are changing fast. As a club, we'd like to offer a venue where we can provide both training and the use of permanent radio shacks to club members. After much negotiation and with the support of local councillor Tracie McGee and Derek Bell of the Renfrew District council we have obtained new premises at Elderslie in the form of the old library. The library has lain abandoned and unused for many years and we sought to take it on as a more suitable venue for EARS.

Of late, the library has been transformed from a forlorn and freezing cold room with tatty and peeling wallpaper into a pleasant new hall with not one but TWO purpose built radio shacks. The shacks are intended for the sole use of licensed radio club members, and will be secure, while the main hall area will be available to anyone in the community with an interest, who is happy to pay the going rate to use it, so long as teaching is not taking place there.

The renovation work done to date includes the clearing of the old library equipment, mostly by community services and by Robert Todd MM3LVQ while the new purpose-built shacks were constructed by community services. Thanks guys! The materials for the renovation and the shacks were paid for from EARS funds.

The first photo is on the building in the 1800's.

The next three photos show the old Library before starting work on renovations..

The last photo shows the library after the first coat of paint was applied and also shows the stud partitions going up for the new shacks.

What a difference!

EARS is a small radio club with a particular emphasis on helping those with disability and special needs into the hobby. We offer teaching services for those wishing to get started in Amateur Radio. We are an RSGB/OFCOM registered exam centre where you can sit the Foundation, Intermediate and the Full amateur radio examinations.

This project to expand and improve on our teaching and community involvement has been dubbed 'BIG EARS' and will allow us to offer improved teaching facilities to those who wish to become radio amateurs and to those who attend the local Disability resource centres. The Love Street DRC in Paisley is one of our teaching venues and recently, we had a visit from them while the work was ongoing. despite being a complete mess, they were keen to see the work we are doing and they will hopefully become regulars at the new venue.

When you think about it, it makes more sense for the students to come to us,rather than for use to go to them. They have transport available, and for us, there is little or no set up time required to get teaching underway. It will also reduce the inevitable wear and tear on the equipment we take out to the centres.

As the EARS club secretary I'd like to personally thank Tracie McGee and Derek Bell for their unstinting support and assistance in helping this project to fly.



		Members of the Love Street DRC visiting EARS before the renovations took place.