Stockport Harriers awarded £150,000 of funding to improve grassroots sports facility
Stockport Harriers, working in partnership with Stockport Council, is among 149 projects to secure a share of £16.5 million of National Lottery funding from Sport England that will help improve facilities and playing fields across the country.
£150,000 has been awarded to replace the existing Clubhouse with a new modern and economical Pavilion. The new building will boast modern toilets and changing rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, ample storage and social space and will be fully accessible to wheelchair users.
Club Chairman, Mike Durcan, said: “The successful Sport England funding award of £150,000 is a great achievement for Stockport MBC, Life Leisure and Stockport Harriers & AC. The resulting new Club House will greatly improve the Woodbank Park Athletics Facility and inspire many more people to use it. Stockport Harriers are very proud to be associated with this bid and look forward to the completion of the building, many years usage from it and continued success for the Club.”
Ann Coffey MP said: “I am delighted that the bid to Sport England has been successful. Athletics has a strong base at Woodbank, and the investment in improved facilities will really encourage more people to get involved in a growing sport.”
The announcement comes as Sport England revealed that it has reached a major funding milestone – having invested £5 billion in grassroots sport in the last 20 years.
Since 1994, the year Tom Daley was born, Wet Wet Wet topped the charts with Love Is All Around and the Channel Tunnel opened, Sport England has made tens of thousands of investments – totalling £5 billion.
Sport England’s Property Director, Charles Johnston, said: “£5 billion is a huge sum of money, but it’s the projects and people that that money supports which are really important. We’re delighted to have invested so much into community sport, and see on a daily basis the impact that it makes for local people.
“The latest round of facility funding continues to make a noticeable difference to community sports clubs across the country. By giving people top-class, sustainable facilities in which to play sport, and by improving and protecting our playing surfaces, we’re ensuring that more people can play sport, more often.”
The latest round of facility funding will help create new changing rooms, pavilions and artificial grass pitches as well as protecting and improving grass pitches to make people's sporting experiences better.