A GREENOCK bowling club which has survived against all the odds despite losing over £100,000 during the pandemic is now looking to rebuild its home.

Lady Alice BC is finally able to move forward with long-standing plans to upgrade its clubhouse.

It follows a difficult few years, with fears last summer that the 106-year-old club would have to close as income plummeted because of Covid-19.

Now with a legal wrangle over a 25-year lease finally sorted out, the committee are free to find funding for their desperately needed renovation work.

Secretary Joe Carruthers said: "It has been a really difficult year for us.

"All our income comes from functions and the bar, but that all stopped.

"But thanks to getting some help we managed to find ways to get some financial support.

"We have a great treasurer Jim Gallacher and we have managed to find ways to cut our costs."

Like many social and sports clubs Lady Alice relies heavily on holding functions for parties, christenings and funerals.

The Covid-19 restrictions meant that all their income disappeared.

The pandemic hit just as the bowling club had resolved problems over a lease.

Five years ago it was granted over £200,000 from Inverclyde Council to help towards the cost of a refurbishment project which includes a part demolition.

But the work was held up due to a legal wrangle over a 25-year lease of the common ground.

It meant that the committee couldn't move forward until the red tape was finally sorted out.

In October 2019 it was finally concluded, but then the pandemic hit months later.

At a crunch meeting with council officials in November to discuss the upgrade, the committee found a way forward for match funding.

With support from thirs sector umbrella group CVS Inverclyde, they now have a handful of bids pending to find the rest of the cash they need to start work on the clubhouse.

Joe added: "We want to create a community hub that everyone can use."

Councillor Tommy McVey has been on hand throughout the long-running saga to help the committee find a way forward.

He said: "The project is now at a very important stage.

"It has taken a long time and I am delighted for Joe Carruthers and his team who, along with council officers, deserve a lot of credit for the work they have done to date.

"There were the legal issues with the clubhouse being on common good land, which delayed the new lease being signed.

"The Covid situation hasn’t helped either but thankfully these issues have all been resolved.

"The club will be submitting up to five funding bids very shortly."