BACKERS of Pershore Rugby Club’s £80,000 changing rooms and pitch development project leant a hand with building work at the club’s Wyre Piddle riverside site.
Coun Frances Smith, chairman of Wychavon District Council, and Jim Haywood, financial director of Severn Waste Services, joined chairman of Pershore Rugby, Richard George, to each lay a brick for the new extension, which will give pitch-side access and toilets for each of the four separate, modern changing rooms which are being created.
When complete, the changing rooms will allow men, women and children to play sports at the same time at the picturesque riverside site of the Vale community sports and social centre.
“The aim, in the next two years, is to double the number of men, women and children playing sport and socialising at ‘Piddle Park’ and building the new changing rooms within the footprint of our existing building and upgrading our pitches is the first phase of our plan to do that,” said Mr George.
“We are very grateful to Wychavon, Severn Waste and Sport England for supporting us with substantial grants, which together have made our plans possible.
“Phase two of our plan is to completely refurbish the clubhouse bar and catering facilities too and an enormous amount of work towards that has already been undertaken by volunteers from the club and will be continued on our annual workforce weekend this weekend and over the summer.
“We already have a fabulous location and some of the best pitches in the county and so the idea is we will have a clubhouse and facilities to match by the autumn, which existing and new players can all enjoy.
“Also, we are becoming increasingly popular as a venue for a wide range of events and functions for the wider local community and so this upgrade will improve the experience of those who book with us for their wedding receptions, birthday parties and other family occasions, as well as social and recreational groups who want to use our premises for anything from rounders’ tournaments to camping weekends.”
Pershore Rugby has squads which regularly play a wide range of types of rugby. There are two men’s contact sides, a women’s touch rugby squad, a mixed touch side, a women’s contact side and a thriving minis and juniors section.
