PORLOCK Recreation Ground trustees want to swell their ranks to help take forward a major village project – the renovation or rebuilding of the pavilion.

Susan Taylor, a long-time resident of the village, left a generous £759,000 bequest for the benefit of Porlock residents and visitors who use the recreation grounds. The last instalment was received from her estate in May 2018.

Porlock Rec covers about nine acres in the heart of the village. Its facilities include a children’s playground, two football pitches, a cricket pitch, a flood lit tennis court and multi-sport court, a dog exercise field and a pavilion.

After some initial scoping and two rounds of community consultations, the trustees of the Porlock Recreation Ground charity are ready to move to the next, more detailed planning stages for use of the legacy.

One of the options being investigated is to renovate or rebuild the pavilion building which is used for functions and other recreation activities. This would include associated facilities such as changing rooms, showers, toilets and a kitchen.

While the current trustees bring with them a broad range of expertise, they recognise that they would benefit from additional specialist knowledge.

So now they are seeking to bring on additional volunteer trustees with backgrounds in such areas as grant funding application, project and tender management, building, architecture or other associated professions.

Trustees need not live in Porlock and, aside from these specialised areas, there are opportunities for anyone with the time and passion to contribute to the cause.

Russell Vowles, chairman of trustees, said: “Our current committee functions really well, and members are dedicated and enthusiastic, but we need additional volunteers some with the time and expertise to take on larger projects.

“Above all, our aim is to be good stewards of such a generous donation. It’s a big responsibility, and we need to set the committee up to do the best job possible”.

Anyone interested can find more information at www.porlockrec.org.uk and may contact the charity at [email protected].