Latest news with #MattPearce
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Scottish Co-operative Discovery Centre in West Calder will celebrate region's unique heritage
It's already generating local construction jobs and supporting apprenticeships Livingston MP Gregor Poynton returned to the Scottish Co-operative Discovery Centre to see how construction on the site is progressing. The MP last visited the site of the landmark project in West Calder, which will celebrate co-operative values and local heritage, 10 months ago. The project, led by the West Calder and Harburn Community Development Trust, is spearheaded by Manager Matt Pearce and a dedicated team committed to showcasing and educating communities on co-operative heritage. Once complete, the discovery centre will celebrate the region's unique heritage, promote Fairtrade and co-operative values, provide educational opportunities for young people, and serve as a hub for real-world solutions to challenges such as inequality and climate change. In addition to its long-term mission, it is already generating local construction jobs and supporting apprenticeships, reinforcing its role as a driver of sustainable economic and social growth. The Livingston MP visited the site last Friday afternoon, June 6, to view the progress made and meet with the team. Manager Matt Pearce said: 'This is truly community led. The project aims to deliver what our local community wants and that is jobs, opportunities, a re-invigoration of our economy and to celebrate our heritage and identity. To put our village and area back on the map. 'As well as benefiting our local community, the discovery centre will have a national impact in celebrating Scotland's co-operative heritage and promoting it for the future. We have a long and proud tradition of co-operation and it is needed more than ever now with the challenges we face. This is about inspiring the next generation.' Gregor Poynton MP said: 'The co-operative movement has always been at the heart of strong communities, and nowhere is that more evident than right here in West Calder. 'This centre is a shining example of grassroots vision, passion, and sheer determination. 'This is more than just a building — it's a statement; a living embodiment of community, co-operation, and hope for future generations. 'I look forward to seeing the site continue to progress and open to the public.'
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Gregor Poynton MP revisits Scottish Co-operative Discovery Centre
Gregor Poynton, MP for the Livingston Constituency, returned to the site on Friday, marking a key milestone in the project's progress. Just ten months after his initial visit during the early stages of construction, the transformation is already having a meaningful impact. The project, led by the West Calder and Harburn Community Development Trust, is spearheaded by Manager Matt Pearce and a dedicated team committed to showcasing and educating communities on our co-operative heritage. Once complete, the Scottish Co-operative Discovery Centre will celebrate the region's unique heritage, promote Fairtrade and co-operative values, provide educational opportunities for young people, and serve as a hub for real-world solutions to challenges such as inequality and climate change. In addition to its long-term mission, the Centre is already generating local construction jobs and supporting apprenticeships, reinforcing its role as a driver of sustainable economic and social growth. Mr Poynton visited the location on Friday afternoon to view the progress made and meet with the team for a site visit. Commenting, Manager Matt Pearce said: "This is truly community led. The project aims to deliver what our local community wants and that is jobs, opportunities, a re-invigoration of our economy and to celebrate our heritage and identity. To put our village and area back on the map. 'As well as benefiting our local community, the Discovery Centre will have a national impact in celebrating Scotland's co-operative heritage and promoting it for the future. We have a long and proud tradition of co-operation and it is needed more than ever now with the challenges we face. This is about inspiring the next generation." Commenting, Mr Poynton said: 'The co-operative movement has always been at the heart of strong communities, and nowhere is that more evident than right here in West Calder. "This Centre is a shining example of grassroots vision, passion, and sheer determination. "This is more than just a building — it's a statement; a living embodiment of community, co-operation, and hope for future generations. "I look forward to seeing the site continue to progress and open to the public.' Related topics: Scotland
IOL News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Let the record reflect: Leinster is not unbeatable, especially when it comes to playoff matches
Leinster are not as invincible as everyone (in Ireland) makes them out to be. Back-to-back losses over the last two weekends have shown that. And maybe, this could be the start of their season spiralling and another year where they end up with no trophies after being tipped to go deep into the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup. They were clear favourites to claim a fourth consecutive finals berth in the Champions Cup ahead of this past weekend. Yet, they did not make it past the semi-finals. Yes, they will be in the quarter-finals of the URC – as they still top the log – but the last two losses in both competitions have shown that there is a vulnerability within the team sides can exploit when facing them in make-or-break matches. They are not bulletproof, no matter how much they are hyped up or the depth of their player pool. For the second weekend in a row, a team found a way to circumvent their defensive prowess under the expertise of Jacques Nienaber to beat them. They lost to the Scarlets last weekend in the URC, although it was not a full-strength side. The loss on Saturday against Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup, which knocked them out of contention, only reinforced their susceptibility to losses in play-off games. I know Leinster fans are going to be hugely disappointed (understandably so) but it takes two to tango and that was one of the great games of rugby. More so for a neutral. Well done both Saints and Leinster. — Matt Pearce (@MattP555) May 4, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ It's especially at this time of the season that Leinster starts losing their way it seems, and their potential opponents will be lapping this up. While they made the final of the European competition last year, eventually losing out to Toulouse in the final, they failed to get past the Bulls in the URC again. Maybe, just maybe it was Jake White's Loftus troops who planted the seed amongst other teams that Leinster's league and pool stage dominance can be thwarted in the one-off games. The Pretoria side beat the Irish powerhouse twice in URC playoff games – once in Dublin and the next time in Pretoria. 'There are only so many learnings Leinster can take. They have the resources, they are effectively the Irish team with three superstars and they haven't been able to it done' - @jamieheaslip and @BernardJackman reflect on a shock Leinster loss — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 3, 2025 So, it's not unfathomable that it could be done for a fourth season in a row in the URC. Leinster will have the home-ground advantage in the quarters and potential semis as things stand, but after seeing how they were upstaged by the Saints this past weekend, no team in the top eight will head to Dublin just to explore the Irish city. They will know that although their opponents are fancied way more than them, teams with a much smaller player pool than Leinster have done the unthinkable. If there's one thing every rugby fan can unite on, it's that it's very, very funny every year when Leinster gets knocked out of the Champions Cup. #LEIvNOR — Darrel Bristow-Bovey (@dbbovey) May 3, 2025 It's going to be interesting how the Irish side picks themselves up for the rest of the URC after the last two weekends of rugby results. Suddenly, they only have one trophy to play for, when for the last couple of years, they could try for two at least. Maybe it will give them the chance to zone in on finally winning the URC without having the distraction of the Champions Cup finals on their minds. On the other hand, the losses they racked up over the last two weeks could dent their hopes of some silverware to make up for their league dominance.
