Long Sutton Hockey Club wins £200,000 for new pitch

Determination has paid off for members of a popular hockey club after scoring £200,000 to replace its ageing astroturf.

Long Sutton Hockey Club and Long Sutton Community Association are over the moon after their hard work to raise money for the new pitches over the last two years has paid off.

It's existing surfacing, which are close to The Peele Leisure Centre, has been laid for more than 21 years.

The funding, which includes grants from Sport England, the Hockey Foundation and the Alan Boswell Group Charitable Trust, means the new pitches should be laid in December, securing the future of the club.

Club chair Lorraine Wallis, who has played for the England team, is thrilled to reach the fundraising target.

She said: "It is an amazing achievement and I am really proud of the club.

"Without a new surface, the club would have potentially had to fold. It has been that serious but now we have secured the future of the club.

"We hope that the new pitch will help to attract new players to the club."

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The club, which has more than 100 members, has has been hoping to replace the pitch over the last five years.

Funding for the new sand-dressed pitch has been given by Sport England, the Hockey Foundation, the Alan Boswell Group Charitable Trust and the Gedney Wind Cluster Fund.

Current and former players along with friends and benefactors have also been rallied around the bid by giving donations and running fundraisers.

Lorraine said: "With the new surface we hope to work with the local secondary and primary schools to bring hockey to the wider community. We have a thriving junior section."