Cash bid to revive old Lower Darwen pitches

Darwen Rangers and Junior Gardeners are now trying to raise cash to turn the field from 'a magnet for anti-social behaviour' back into a soccer ground.

The clubs are applying for £25,000 from a scheme run by insurance giant Aviva's Community Fund to revitalise the area off Branch Road in Lower Darwen.

They have more than 25 teams with 500 members aged six to 16 and play on Saturdays and Sundays on nearby pitches at Sandy Lane which, like the disused field, are owned by a special trust.

John Parker, chairman of Darwen Rangers, said: "We are intent on revitalising a great old pitch that has fallen out of use through lack of basic maintenance.

"The Branch Road pitch is one of the flattest in the area but is currently un-usable for much of the year due to being waterlogged.

"The surface requires total renewal, after which we are confident that it will be one of the best playing surfaces in the area.

"The football clubs have equipment and enough volunteer labour to maintain it, but the required renovation is beyond our resources.

"If awarded funding, the top of the pitch would be taken off and the whole area re-surfaced.When renovated , the field will support two or three pitches allowing for up to 12 additional teams.

"Club volunteers will maintain them and have plans to construct a pavilion/storage building.

"The current block is derelict and a magnet for antisocial behaviour which will be significantly eased by regular use. The funding from Aviva is needed to get the surface back into regular use by September 2019."

Local people backing the project need to register and vote at https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/voting/project/view/4-3188.

To get to the final assessment, it must get enough votes to be in the top 24 of 3,000 applicant schemes.

Lower Darwen's councillor John Slater said: "This is a great idea and I strongly support it. I would urge people to go to the website and vote for this scheme."