Plans in place for club pavilion transformation

A village football club is to kick off plans to transform their ancient and delapidated pavilion with a £150,000 regeneration project.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Oct 2016, 16:57 BST
Updated 25th Oct 2016, 18:56 BST
Ribchester FC PavilionRibchester FC Pavilion
Ribchester FC Pavilion

Ribchester Football Club have been given the green light on plans to build modern facilities with new changing rooms for teams and officials, showers and toilets.

The investment has been years in planning with club and community officials raising more than £15,000 towards the scheme.

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The plans, submitted by the Ribchester Playing Field Trust, include disabled access and storage facilities for football and other sports.

Chris Byrne, the club chairman said: “It’s a huge relief to have the planning in place.

“It’s been a long time coming but it feels now like we have made it past this major hurdle.

“To have this facility would be such a massive achievement for the whole village.”

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The pavilion, on the town’s playing fields near Pope Croft car park, was given to the club by Dutton Manor Lodge, 65 years ago.

Chris added the current facility, which is more than a 100 years old, is ‘well past it’s sell by date.’

He said: “It would be great to have somewhere for everyone, other clubs, boys, girls, to veterans and disabled facilities.

“It would make such a difference.”

Efforts are now being concentrated on grant funding with applications ready for the Football Foundation and Sport England

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Extra funds were recently donated to the refurbishment in memory of 28-year-old Dean Dewhurst. Dean, a former player and coach from the club, died in a car crash on Whalley Road, Clitheroe last month.