Hard work starts now for Bridgnorth Rugby Club project

Karen Sawbridge said the club faces a big task to raise the necessary funds.

Plans for the new facility at the club's Edgar Davies Ground next to the River Severn were approved on Tuesday and it will be built on stilts with nothing in the ground floor to protect against flooding after the original structure was hit four times in the last two years.

The project is expected to cost around £1.3m, with some of the funding expected to come from an interest free loan provided by the club's VPs. They will also sell the exisiting clubhouse, which is expected to fetch around £450,000.

Ms Sawbridge, who also sits on Bridgnorth Town Council, said they may get some funding from CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) and possibly Sport England but the likelihood of getting a grant from the RFU was small due to them having insufficient funds to help member clubs.

Both Sport England and the RFU provided funding when damage of around £50,000 was caused by the flooding incidents.

Ms Sawbridge said: "This is going to be a massive project for everyone at the club – the plan is to put the work out to tender soon and start the work in July and have it to be ready for the season in 2023.

"It will transform the club because at the moment the players have to walk to the pitch from the boathouse where all the facilities in the new clubhouse will be in one building.

"The sewage and drainage needs to be looked at because it is next to the River Severn and although the plans are advanced to deal with this, before we start to build it we need everything in place.

"But it is going to need a big push on sponsorship and funding from supporters, benefactors, well wishers, anyone who can help to see it through."

The proposals at the meeting were supported by Bridgnorth Town Council and attracted 175 letters of suppport from members of the public with only three objections.