Morrison Construction's Building Central has donated a stage to a Renfrewshire-based theatre charity for the annual pantomime.

The team found themselves with a with an unused stage from another project they were working on, with client Renfrewshire Council putting them in touch with PACE, who were able to use the structure to form the seating bank for their Beauty and the Beast panto.

PACE Theatre Company, based in Paisley, was founded in 1988 and is a non-profit making theatre company and registered charity specialising in work with young people. It focuses on developing and nurturing young creative talent through performing arts experiences.

The donation of the stage – worth around £40,000 – is part of a much bigger package of community benefits delivered by Morrison Construction as part of the Paisley Town Hall contract, including extensive work experience and construction skills sessions for young people.

Paisley Town Hall recently reopened after being transformed into one of Scotland's finest entertainment venues as part of a wider push by the council to use the power of culture to change the area's future.


Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Renfrewshire Council's cultural spokesperson and chair of OneRen, who are operating the reopened venue, said: "We want to thank Morrison Construction for their very kind donation of a stage to PACE, as part of a range of wider benefits they delivered through their contract.

"We want to work with our contractors to ensure major projects such as the town hall transformation directly help the local community and we are delighted this contract did so.

"Of course, the reopened town hall will as a whole benefit the wider area. Not only will it keep this much-loved historic building at the heart of local life for future generations, but the programme of events it will host will bring new footfall into the town day and night, as we are already seeing."

Morrison Construction's work in the community on the Paisley Town Hall contract was recently nominated for a Scotland-wide GO Award in the Social Value category, while the business was named as a winner at Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce's recent ROCCO awards in the Community Wealth-Building category.

David Ewing, Managing Director for Morrison Construction Building Central, said: "Making a real impact on local communities is at the heart of what we do at Morrison Construction. We were delighted to work with PACE to donate a portable stage which enhances the experience for all the young people involved with the theatre group.

"As the principal contractor on the new Paisley Grammar School Community Campus, Morrison Construction will continue to work with all the stakeholders involved in Renfrewshire to ensure we build on the positive legacy we are creating for local people."