A WARRINGTON club which runs 16 soccer teams, involving up to 300 players, has launched an appeal to raise £80,000 to buy the land on which they play.
If Grappenhall Sports Club cannot find the money by next March, it faces the distinct possibility of losing the land which has been its home for 50 years.
The land in Stockton Lane, Grappenhall, is leased from government agency English Partnerships (EP).
They plan to sell the land – and have given the club first refusal.
The club is launching a major fund-raising campaign – starting with a
family day and hog roast on Sunday, August 24, with a special five-a-side competition and fun activities taking place.
It will be a special day for member Clive Booth in particular as he will arrive at the club on Stockton Lane having ran a sponsored 36 miles along the Bridgewater canal.
He said: “As the Bridgewater Canal borders the very pitches we are trying to save, I thought it a good idea to run its length from Runcorn to Leigh.
However, having measured the distance it turns out to be 36 miles!
“I am still going to honour my commitment to do this but it is much further than I have ever ran before and won’t be easy. To spur me on, I would like to try and drum up as much support as possible.”
Grappenhall Sports Club currently provides a football facility for 250-300 local people who play for one of the club’s 16 teams.
Club spokesman Brian Robinson said:
“The area of land concerned is used by local people, aged from five to 50, for participation in grass roots amateur sport. We now have a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase this land and ensure that it is retained for sporting use by the local community for years to come.”
The £80,000 has to be raised by the club by March next year and there will be a lot more fundraising events taking place in the near future.
For more information on sponsoring Clive, the fun day, or on the bid to save the pitches, contact Brian Robinson on 07788 591 172, or e-mail clive.booth@btconnect.com
