An ambitious ground improvement programme has just been completed by Cleator Moor Celtic which will benefit the junior section at the club.
The drainage project completion was celebrated by a special presentation at the club this week.
The club’s training pitches at Cleator needed to be improved as they flooded regularly, particularly between November and February which resulted in several games being called off each season.
The answer was in the drains and after a sports consultant was brought in it was agreed that a designer drainage system was required.
The next step was the ability to fund the project and after Cumberland County Council assisted initially Dave Firth, agronomy director of OBI Sports, was recruited to help drive forward the project.
It was rather a big change from a previous assignment – he oversaw the maintenance of one of the pitches at the Qatar World Cup.
Things began to move forward when substantial funding of £50,000 was secured from the last Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, while the club’s own Junior Section added another £7,000.
The total costs of the project amounted to around £80,000 with the physical groundwork starting in September and which lasted for 10 days.
Project lead David Graham said: “We are hoping to bring the facility back into use this coming month of December depending on seed growth and root conditions.
“This is a primary drainage system that will not solve all the problems but it will greatly improve the quality and usage of the site at Cleator.”
David, who looks after the main Celtic pitch, thanked Ray Patterson who is in charge of the Cleator junior facility and Colin Bell, head of youth at the club, for their support in seeing through the Project.
There were also special thanks to Julieanne Mitchell, who works on local community projects and to Dave Firth of OBI Sports.
The club has also said its own thanks to Cleator Moor Town Council; Duncan Ross Ltd, grounds work contractors; Adam Cooper (GMA); Craig Lewis (Cumberland FA); Copeland Community Fund; The UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Cumberland County Council.
