Steels get share of town funds
Grants totalling £220,000 have been given the go ahead – delivering major improvements at two Stocksbridge sporting clubs through the Town Deal Sports Hub Project.
Stocksbridge Park Steels is to receive a grant of £120,000 and Stocksbridge Rugby Club will receive £100,000, unlocking an investment which will enhance facilities at the two clubs for both players and supporters.
The two grants are part of a package of major improvements to sporting facilities across the town and were approved at Sheffield City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday 16th October.
The investment means Stocksbridge Park Steels can upgrade the club’s Bracken Moor stadium to be much more accessible to prams and to wheelchair users, creating a new area at the ground. The Rugby Club grant will allow a much needed drainage project to go ahead – making the pitch playable throughout the year. Work on both projects is expected to get underway in spring 2024.
The £220,000 investment is part of the £24.1m Town Deal investment in Stocksbridge which includes the regeneration of Manchester Road as well as investment at Oxley Park and at Underbank Reservoir.
Roger Gissing, Vice Chairman of Stocksbridge Park Steels said: “This project opens a lot of avenues for us, a lot of our supporters are elderly and we do struggle with access, we have lots of stairs and steps and this grant is going to enable us to create an area which is on a flat level.“
Stocksbridge Rugby Club President Philip Watts said: “We are delighted to have the confirmation that we can start on this project which is something we have wanted to invest in for some time at the club.
“When the pitch gets waterlogged in the winter months we often have to find other pitches or delay games – so this will make a huge difference to all our teams, from the youngest juniors up to our adult team.”
Towns Fund Board Co-Chair, Miriam Cates MP, said: “We’re delighted that the Stocksbridge Town Deal can award these grants to two great local clubs allowing them to start work on these enhancements and improvements.
“Stocksbridge Rugby Club and Stocksbridge Park Steels are both hugely important to the local community in Stocksbridge and Deepcar and this investment is going to make a real difference to both clubs.”
Photograph shows (l-r) Nigel George and Philip Watts from Stocksbridge Rugby Club, Graham Silverwood and Miriam Cates MP from the Stocksbridge Towns Fund Board and Graham Furness, Roger Gissing and Bill Fieldsend from Stocksbridge Park Steels.
To keep up to date with news about Stocksbridge Towns Fund visit www.welcometostocksbridge.co.uk
