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24/04/2012 12:11: SITA Trust provides welcome funding boost for Godmanchester Football and Sports Association Trust and the local sporting community.

The community of Godmanchester is today celebrating the news that the Godmanchester Football and Sports Association Trust (GFASAT) has received a £33,974 funding boost from SITA Trust to upgrade and modernise the sporting and community facilities at their Bearscroft Lane site.



Bearscroft Lane is a 9-acre recreational sports facility consisting of a football pitch, recreational grassed area, clubhouse and toilet/changing facilities. The site is best known as the home of Godmanchester Football Club, a non league club, fielding two senior men’s teams and a women’s team. Godmanchester Football Club is the anchor tenant which helps sustain the facility financially. However, the site can easily be booked for recreational activities and is used on a less frequent basis for youth rugby, kite flying festivals and social sports like rounders and community events. Local youth football teams have expressed an interest in using the site once the facilities have been improved.



At present the facility is restricted by the basic and outdated facilities which limit the types of community activities that can be accommodated. The small clubhouse is too small to accommodate both ‘home’ and ‘away’ teams, or anything other than very small social gatherings. The changing rooms are 10 years old and substandard. The Referee's changing room and the office and kitchen are in decaying portakabins.



This project aims to extend and upgrade the clubhouse and changing rooms to modern standards and remove the need for additional portakabin space. SITA Trust funding will be used to upgrade the existing areas of the building including new flooring in the clubhouse and refurbishment of existing changing rooms. £50,000 has already been secured from Sport England towards the new build elements of the project and other funders are being approached to make up the shortfall.



Finbarr Sheehan of Godmanchester Football and Sports Association Trust said: "We are delighted to have received this award from SITA Trust, which underpins our success to date, and will enable our Trust to significantly upgrade the quality of our premises and facilities. The award is a demonstration of the faith of SITA Trust in our plans for the future, and is the cornerstone of our strategy to have an outstanding club for the sporting community of Godmanchester, thereby complimenting the objectives set down by our Trust."



Jools Granville of SITA Trust said "Godmanchester Football and Sports Association were awarded £6,000 by SITA Trust in 2002 for the installation of boundary fencing. The project was well delivered and we have seen the benefit it has made to local people. This new project should benefit a wide range of people – both competitors and visitors to the site and we’re delighted to offer this grant. We look forward to hearing that the final chunk of funding is in place and seeing the completed facility!"