Construction of a new ‘Pavilion in the Park’ is well underway at Ashbourne Recreation ground, Derbyshire, after receiving a grant from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund.
The enthusiasm and hard work of the Ashbourne Recreation Ground Sports and Community Partnership (ARGSCP) resulted in seven funders coming forward to raise a grand total of almost £1million to build the new community hub. The final grant of £30,000 from Tarmac’s Landfill Communities Fund took the campaign ‘over the line’ allowing them to appoint a builder and start work.
The new pavilion will comprise four sports changing rooms meeting the English Cricket Board and Football Foundation standards, a community café and bar, and a new community hub of around 120 square metres which will be the home for the Ashbourne Digital Learning Centre and the ARGSCP’s ‘Community Offer’. The ‘Community Offer’ will include a range of healthy-living and well-being community programmes managed by ARGSCP along with the District Council’s Community Activator who will be based in the Pavilion.
David Wood from the Partnership comments: “It’s extremely rewarding to see the new pavilion start to take shape. The old pavilion was over 60 years old and starting to become unsuitable for purpose or use by the community. It was high time our community had a state-of-the-art facility that could be used by the whole community.”
Darren Middleton, powders business manager from Tarmac’s nearby Ballidon Quarry adds: “Against the backdrop of a year in which community activities were few and far between, it is wonderful to see this facility start to take shape. We are pleased that Tarmac was able to contribute to top up the significant amount the partnership had already raised. This kind of practical project which will deliver wide-reaching benefits to the local community is exactly what the Tarmac Landfill Community Fund aims to achieve.”
The Pavilion project has been made possible by six funders: The Football Foundation; the England and Wales Cricket Board; Derbyshire Dales District Council; Seven Trent Water; Garfield Weston Trust and Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund.
