Plans are in the pipeline to improve sporting facilities on offer at Holbeach’s Carter’s Park creating a “community hub”.
Town businessman Des Ford has approached the parish council with proposals to improve the cricket pavilion and the football club changing rooms and clubhouse.
In a letter to the parish council, Mr Ford said: “As a resident of Holbeach and an avid supporter of all sports and community projects, I have looked into the state of the current facilities that are available to people of the town.
“What I know for definite is that the football club changing rooms are not fit for purpose. They are badly ventilated, insulated and are falling into rack and ruin.
“The cricket pavilion lies empty and seems to operate as a central store for the park keeper.
“The football clubhouse will within the next five years require a rewire and a new felt roof at the minimum but will also need bringing up to standard with kitchen, WC and disabled facilities, along with an insulation upgrade.
“Best not mention the public toilets!”
Mr Ford, who has been heavily involved with the new youth football facilities at Pennyhill, says there is a considerable amount of money available to fund and modernise Carter’s Park.
He believes the following amounts could be realised through grant schemes:
refurbishment of public toilets – £20,000
refurbishment of former cricket pavilion – £50,000
refurbishment of football changing room – £70,000
refurbishment of football clubhouse – £100,000.
Mr Ford is proposing that the funding bid is led by the sports club, with the parish council (as the owner) as applicant.
He added: “I think that if we could draw down grants and donations from all areas available we could, with the right will, create a community hub in the centre of the park that could be a community facility/cafe/clubhouse/improvement to the park.”
The parish council has agreed to support Mr Ford and a committee consisting of chairman Coun Isobel Hutchinson and Couns Paul Foyster and Carol Rudkin has been formed to work on the project.
