THE Williton Pavilion Project has received an enormous boost after landing a Big Lottery grant just short of £1 million.
The Trustees of Williton Memorial Recreation Ground heralded the exciting news, saying this was a fantastic opportunity to create a valuable asset for the whole community.
On Tuesday, the Trustees learned they had landed a £947,000, which along with the funding from both EDF and West Somerset Council, means there is now £1,470,000 in the pot to complete the work.
Trustee and chairman of Williton Parish Council Keith Richards said: “This is quite an achievement for such a small parish, it is a huge cash injection and is great news for the whole community.”
Plans to get a new community building for Williton have been in the pipeline for more than 20 years, and have seen a large number of residents actively involved with fundraising activities for the project.
The building design has evolved through five years of consultation, and the proposed building with provide a central hub for social, leisure and sports activities and include a main area that will be able to hold up to 200 people.
“It is such an exciting opportunity,” Cllr Richards said. “The building can be all encompassing. We could have badminton, indoor football, fitness classes.
"There will be new facilities for the football club, it will be able to host film nights, coffee mornings, public meetings, photography clubs - you name it.
“We plan to kit it out so it is accessible to everybody and as it is on the Memorial Ground, ideally we would like it top be open for the centenary of the end of the First World War.
On the ground floor there also be a fully equipped kitchen to cater for 100 plus people, public toilets and baby changing facilities.
There will also be a new footpath linking Robert Street to Long Street and the remodelling of the old changing rooms to provide a large store and unisex disabled public toilet.
Slade Parry Ltd, a Yeovil-based company with offices in Minehead will be responsible for managing the project. Working in conjunction with the Big Lottery, the plan is to issue tenders for the construction work within the next two to three months.
Construction is planned to commence later this year, with completion late 2018.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here