A BARRHEAD pub boss enjoyed some unexpected cheer on his birthday when 50 friends turned up outside his flat to stage a surprise party.

Archie McIntyre is a familiar face in the town, having managed The Brig Inn for nearly 40 years.

The coronavirus lockdown meant he was expecting a low-key celebration as he turned 63.

However, his friends were determined to help him mark the occasion, so they gathered together outside his town centre flat to sing Happy Birthday.

Among them was piper Johnny Gauld, who played tunes to bring some joy to Archie.

Barrhead News:

Johnny told the Barrhead News how staff and regulars from The Brig Inn, in Cross Arthurlie Street, maintained social distancing during the surprise ‘street party.’

“Emotions were definitely running high,” said Johnny, who is a long-time friend of Archie.

“Everyone was happy to see Archie and he was pleased to see everyone, especially as the pubs are closed at the moment.

“We hid around the corner and then we all marched around, singing ‘happy birthday to you,’ and I played on the bagpipes, which went down a storm.

“I also played a melody of beats and popular Scottish music. People were doing highland dancing and we all sang Flower of Scotland for him at the end.”

Johnny believes the event is an example of the powerful community spirit that is one of Barrhead’s biggest assets.

He added: “Archie has been seriously unwell recently, so we wanted to make this a good birthday for him.

“There were 43 of us on one side of the street and seven on the other – it was 50 regulars from the pub.

“To think that all these regulars were able to go along to sing Happy Birthday – how good is that?”