Published: Wednesday, 28th May, 2008 12:00
Working men's club is destroyed in blaze
By Jamie MacDonald
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Firefighters tackle the intense blaze at the Tullibody club.
Pic by: David Robertson
THE former Tullibody Working Men’s Club was destroyed on Sunday night as a fire ripped through the building leaving only a burnt-out shell.
Due to the precarious condition of the remains, firefighters have not yet been able to establish the cause of the blaze.
The fire was first reported to Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service at 9.50pm.
Two units initially responded to the call, with a further five – including a command unit with a crane – following shortly afterwards.
Over 40 firefighters in total were involved in dowsing the flames. The stop message was finally given at around 5am on Monday, although firefighters were still at the scene until around lunchtime.
One eyewitness told the Advertiser, “I noticed youths there at about half past nine and they scattered when the police came by.”
He added, “We knew something like this would happen. It has been boarded up for last four weeks and vandals have been in since then.”
As the fire spread from the old games room through the main building to the hall, thick black smoke poured out of the club and into the night sky.
Three nearby houses were evacuated with two elderly residents being taken to the Civic Centre before being re-housed with relatives. The Civic Centre was then used by the WRVS to provide refreshments to the emergency services.
Built in the 1950s, Tullibody Working Men’s Club was once one of the top entertainment venues in the country. In recent years its fortunes had fallen and it closed its doors last year shortly after one last hurrah – when superstar DJ Judge Jules packed the venue for a charity show in July.
Last November the council gave the green light to plans submitted by Stirling-based Benhar Developments Limited to demolish the building and replace it with housing.
Demolition of the gutted building began on Tuesday and is expected to take about two weeks.
Robert Robinson, chairperson of Tullibody, Cambus and Glenochil Community Council, was sad to see the building destroyed.
He said, “I was a member for many years and had many a good night in there.
“People would come from far and wide on a Saturday for the shows which would feature some of the biggest artists.
“It’s the end of an era and I’m sad to see it going.”
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