The Bellgrove Hotel is a family business passed down from generation to generation - and it changed hands again at the turn of the year.

Stuart Gray and his cousin Alison Barr, a trained nurse, have taken over over the running from their fathers Kenneth Gray and Ronnie Barr, who purchased the building in the late 80s.

Unlike his father, Stuart Gray, who lives in East Renfrewshire with his family, has been "hands on" at the Bellgrove for many years and hopes that he and his cousin can be a "new broom".

He said: "I'm here every weekday from half past six in the morning to five o'clock at night. I try to be vigilant. It's part of the job.

"We have CCTV throughout the communal areas which we weren't asked to put in - we did it for the safety of the guys.

"You'd think that there would be brawling and fighting but there isn't. It's actually quite a peaceful place.

"We're not saying it's ideal, we're not saying that, but we try our best. At the moment, with the numbers, we cope relatively well. We're not this horrible place, which it's been perceived as."

The owners are currently renovating part of the building in response to conditions placed on the business by the authorities.

They have spent £350,000 on new windows and upwards of £100,000 upgrading the fourth floor to provide private shower rooms.

Mr Gray said: "We'll be a new broom, if you want to put it that way. Alison and I want to push forward with the business and try to do some improvements.

"Once we finish upstairs we'll try to work on the other facilities. It's better to have individual rooms.

"We decided, rather than just throwing showers into the rooms, to create an individual space. The idea then is to upgrade the other floors."

It has been suggested that Mr Gray's relatives who previously ran the business coined in more than £1.5m in one year from housing benefit but he insisted they are "not millionaires".

He said: "Nobody is saying we don't make make money but there are overheads with staff, running costs, heating, lighting, and laundry.

"It is a business and we try to provide a decent, caring service. We're also trying to put something back in. We're proactively making improvements to the place."

Mr Gray pointed to the kitchen facility as evidence that they are not solely interested in turning a profit.

Residents are expected to pay £33 a week for 21 meals but only fifteen men handed over the cash last week.

The owner said he could make more money by closing the kitchen but said it would never happen because it would be "immoral".

He added: "We're not going to deny someone food or put them out on the street. That's not right.

"We just want to move forward with the place. We have been moving forward with the place for years. We just haven't been advertising it.

"We've worked on the roof, fitted new boilers. We just get on with it and do it."