VAL Robinson OBE was guest of honour as Blackburn Northern Hockey Club officially opened its brand new £440,000 all-weather pitch.

The former England and Great Britain international from Accrington cut the ribbon at the Pleckgate Road club to signal the beginning of a new era at Northern.

The new pitch - courtesy of a £446,108 grant from Sport England - as been created next to Blackburn Northern Sports Club, on part of the Pleckgate High School site.

The school and Blackburn with Darwen Council are partners in its development and it means hockey players can now train and play together - previously they had to travel four miles across to Witton Park.

Blackburn Northern sports club is a multi-sport club with facilities for cricket, squash and tennis as well as hockey. There are indoor facilities, changing rooms and a newly refurbished clubhouse on site - which the hockey teams can now put to full use.

Stewart Kellett, Sport England's regional director said: "This investment of over £440,000 in the new pitch means that hockey can be played all year round, on a competition-ready surface. It has been achieved through the hard work and commitment of the club, the support of the council and Pleckgate High School.

"Now that players can play and train near to changing and club facilities, it will enable the club to encourage more young players into the sport. Having excellent community club facilities is important locally, for the region and nationally as hockey is one of our most successful sports.' The club runs a number of junior coaching courses and supports Blackburn with Darwen Council in developing teams for the Lancashire Youth Games.

It is currently providing coaching sessions at Pleckgate High School and across local primary schools. It will help local teaching staff gain access to coach education courses, with the support of the England Hockey, the sport's national governing body.

The club has recently achieved England Hockey's Club Accreditation Mark, Club's First.

Bev Dodd, chairman of Blackburn Northern's hockey section, said: "It is fabulous to get this new pitch and it means we can now plan for the future and build up our junior section.

"We already hold after-school clubs with Pleckgate High School and have good links with a number of primary schools.

"We are now an official school link club with Blackburn with Darwen Council and the aim is to develop the game of hockey. Thanks to this funding that is something we can now do."

The open day also included a junior mini hockey tournament which involved 40 youngsters from across the area and an Blackburn Northern Vets team against an England Vets side which was won by the host club.