PRESTONPANS Labour Club has opened its very own Harry’s Bar in tribute to its former president who stood down after more than 30 years in the post last year.

Harry Cairney sat on the management committee of the club for 46 years, serving 33 of them as president.

And he was back behind the bar as the committee revealed its new look and new name.

The main lounge bar has undergone a refurbishment which the club said was its first in 20 years and used local tradespeople to create what it described as a modern, comfortable lounge bar.

Mr Cairney said: “I take it as a great honour to have the newly refurbished bar named after me to mark my service to the club for the past number of years, but in reality to me it marks the efforts of all those individuals who have worked alongside me over the years.

“It is never down to one person but really a team effort and I thank all of those individuals as it has been a privilege to work along with them.”

Derek Costello, serving president of the club, said he believed members and visitors would be delighted by the new-look lounge bar.

He said: “The lounge is the club’s bread and butter with sport and live entertainment for the diverse clientele and I look forward to welcoming our regulars and many new faces in the months ahead.”

The new Harry’s Bar may not welcome as many international celebrities as its more famous namesake in Venice, which was a favourite of Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin and Aristotle Onassis, but it has seen its fair share of political faces over the years, with many high-profile Labour MPs visiting.

David Miliband, then Foreign Secretary, helped pull pints in the club in 2010 and East Lothian’s new MP Martin Whitfield was there for the official opening of the new bar.

Mr Cairney, who stepped down in May last year, was able to boast that he had enjoyed a pint in the club with every Labour leader and Labour’s three First Ministers during his 46 years of service.

Mr Whitfield said: “Prestonpans Labour Club has a proud tradition of serving and supporting the local community and the club’s management committee deserve credit for transforming the lounge bar. This is a sound investment that will help secure the long-term future of the Labour Club for its members and visitors.”