A GREENOCK nightclub that has had a £400,000 facelift has fully reopened its doors for the first time in 18 months and welcomed hundreds of excited clubbers.

Word Up, owned by WBI Group, has been operating with table service only under strict Covid-19 measures since the middle of last year.

With nightclubs now allowed to operate at full capacity, hundreds of clubbers - both old and new - flocked to the new-look venue from Sunday midnight.

Delighted dancers made the most of their return in the early hours of yesterday as they toasted the end of the restrictions.

Director of WBI Group Mark Brysland and general manager Adam Gillespie have spent the past year making over the club's 'big room' and 'back room' and have also employed a 65-strong workforce as they get ready to meet demand from clubbers desperate to hit the dancefloor once again.

They have moved long-standing venue Text to the former Industry bar next door on Dalrymple Street and replaced it with a new bar called Kasa which will serve food during and outwith clubbing hours.

Mr Brysland told the Tele: "The makeover has been very well received and we treated our reopening almost as a relaunch of the club, we now have an entirely new way of working.

"This makeover was always on the cards, but coronavirus put a stop to that at the beginning of last year.

"We've really made an effort to rebrand and ensure there is something for everyone - we wanted to make this the place to be."

Last summer the nightclub utilised its outdoor space to create the 'Back Lane', which was recently granted planning permission for a permanent roof.

As well as also giving the ladies' toilets a facelift, Mr Brysland, from Greenock, says all staff have been retrained to ensure the club has a 'welcoming and safe environment'.

He said: "I'm a parent myself, so I know what it is like to have your children go out, you are naturally worried.

"I want parents to feel confident that those young people coming along, some of whom have never been in a club before, will be safe and looked after by our staff."

In line with Scottish Government guidelines, masks are no longer mandatory inside and clubbers can now make use of bar service.

Word Up, which also takes in event space Tobacco Warehouse, are also preparing to welcome some big names on the music scene now they are back open properly.

Adam, who has been with the company for three years, says it is a relief to see restrictions lifted at last.

He said: "It's great to be back to normal.

"We've turned this into somewhere that people can come along and get some food and drinks, before enjoying live music or the nightclub.

"This is more than just a club, this is an event space.

"We want to provide those coming along with an education about music and create a great experience."