WORK on a major new centre to provide treatment for injured jockeys is expected to get underway before the end of the year.
The £3.5m scheme at Malton, North Yorkshire, has been given the go-ahead by Ryedale District Council’s planning committee.
The rehabilitation base will be built by the Injured Jockey Fund next to the town’s rugby club and will be the first in the north and only the second in the country. There is a similar unit in Lambourn in Berkshire.
One of the new buildings, Jack Berry House - named after the IJF's vice-president who has been instrumental in raising funds for the project - will become a "centre for excellence" for riders' fitness and rehabilitation.
It will treat current and former jockeys as well as provide facilities for other local sportsmen and women, with a gym, hydrotherapy pool, treatment rooms and respite accommodation included within the complex.
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