Govan’s Pearce Institute (PI) has been granted £100,000 from the Big Lottery just as the floor of the McLeod Hall in the building was made to look like new by local specialist McKay of Harmony Square.

At the annual general meeting, the information was still under wraps because  the Big Lottery must make the announcement. ‘But you won’t have long to wait for the result,’ a smiling project manager, Norie Mackie, told the 20 people attending.

When the formal announcement came, a few days later, he told the LOCAL NEWS, ‘I’m delighted and relieved. We’d have been in a poor condition without this. Now we can go forward with our five year plan with confidence that we can action it.’ But it took a year’s effort from the PI team to secure the funding. The help of local MSP Nicola Sturgeon who met the management team recently, was ‘very, very helpful,’ he added.

At the AGM, Trustees Chair, Germaine Hahn, who is Director of Govan Housing Association, highlighted the landmarks of the year: re-opening of Café Pearce; publishing the centenary book, commissioning a new five-year business plan, work on the cupola, progressing on the formal running of the PI.

She thanked the Rev Norman Shanks who demitted office as Chairman on his retirement from Govan Old Parish Church, for his dedication, expertise, enthusiasm, commitment and hard work on behalf of the Pearce Institute. ‘He will be missed both as chairperson of the trustees and as a member of the Management Group,’ she said.

Norie commented that it has been a successful but challenging year during which the PI centenary celebrations had been held.

‘The celebrations provided relief to those who’d worked through the troubled years before then,’ he said. ‘Feedback’ from Café Pearce customers had been very enthusiastic.

‘People couldn’t have said nicer things,’ he revealed. Mark Mulholland, a partner in Alexander Sloan Chartered Accountants, presented the annual accounts which showed an income of £238,541 for the year and an expenditure of £289,311. ‘There are no problems with the record keeping and the deficit is under control,’ he told the audience. The meeting finished with the Rev John Harvey commending everyone involved.