THE committee who run the village recreation ground in Porlock were quite taken aback when a resident left a £759,000 legacy to benefit the grounds.

In May 2017 it emerged long-time Porlock resident Susan Taylor, to the surprise of her family and the village, left the generous legacy in her will ‘for the benefit of Porlock residents and visitors who use the recreation grounds’.

Two years on, after two rounds of community consultation, initial scoping, and many meetings, the trustees of the Porlock Recreation Ground charity say they are now ready to move on to the next, more detailed planning stages for use of the legacy.

One of the options being investigated is to use the money 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.

The trustees say that while they have a broad range of expertise, the charity would benefit from additional specialist knowledge.

They are now seeking to bring on board additional volunteer trustees with backgrounds in such areas as grant funding applications, 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.”

Interested readers can find more information at www.porlockrec.org.uk and may contact the charity at porlockrecground@gmail.com.

Porlock Recreation Ground covers about nine acres in the heart of the village. Its facilities include a playground, two football pitches, cricket pitch, a floodlit tennis court and dog exercise field and pavilion.