WILLITON was this week celebrating a near-£1 million Big Lottery Fund grant for a new community building to be built at Williton Recreation Ground.
With other funds already pledged, the Williton War Memorial Recreation Ground charity has nearly £1.5 million – and tenders for construction will go out in the next few months, with work planned to start later in the year.
The Big Lottery Fund announced the grant for £949,087, one of 189 for projects in the South West which will share a total of over £5 million raised by National Lottery players for good causes.
“This has been a dream for the village for a number of years and we are delighted with this great good news,” said Cllr Keith Richards, chairman of Williton Parish Council and a trustee of the charity.
The council’s members together automatically form a corporate trustee for the charity, while a separate committee has also led fundraising initiatives.
A statement from the charity said the grant provides a significant investment in the community and indicated a level of confidence by funders that the project was both viable and sustainable.
“The requirement for a community building within Williton has been in the pipeline for over 20 years and seen a large number of residents actively involved with fundraising activities,” the charity said.
“Their efforts have provided our funders with an indication that there is a genuine need for a community facility within Williton.
“The building design has evolved through five years of consultation, input from the user community and specific requirements of our funders.”
The new building will provide a central hub for social, leisure and sports activities and will include a main public area that will hold up to 200 people.