WORK to replace a village’s rundown cricket pavilion with a new £380,000 facility is a step closer after a town council pledged £100,000 towards the project.

Ferryhill Town Council has voted to release the money to help to create a new pavilion at Mainsforth Sports Complex.

The town council’s funding is one of several revenue streams which have been tapped into to allow the project to go ahead.

The building will replace a dilapidated existing building, which was at risk of being condemned on health and safety grounds.

Durham County Council has given the project planning approval. It is hoped that the work will start in January and to have the new building open in April for the cricket season.

The pavilion will be the base for Mainsforth Cricket Club and the Ferryhill Wheelers Club. It is hoped that schools and other sports clubs will make use of the facility too.

Derek Snowball, clerk to the town council, said: “It would have been unwise to just spend money on repairing the old building.

“It was built many years ago and it is well past its life expectancy and I think that it’s a good move to build the new pavilion.

“The town council has made up the shortfall in the funding needed to go ahead with the scheme and we hope to start in the next few weeks.”

The English Cricket Board has given £50,000 to the project, Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund has donated a further £75,000.

The Inspired Facilities fund has used National Lottery money since 2011 to breathe new life into tired community sports buildings.

Lafarge Tarmac has added a further £100,000 and local county councillors Brian Avery, Pat McCourt and Pauline Crathorne have given £55,000 from their neighbourhood budgets.

Cllr Avery said: “This is a big success story and it’s a magnificent set-up and I am over the moon with this news.

“It’s really good and this pavilion will put the icing on the cake. The old one has been there a few years but unfortunately it had started to rot.

“This is a really positive move for the cricket club and for the town.”

The building will belong to the town council but the cricket club will be charged with the day to day looking after of the pavilion.

For more information about the project, call 01740-652157.