MIDDLESBROUGH and England footballer Stewart Downing yesterday launched a £500,000 fundraising appeal to improve sports facilities for a seaside community.

People in Lythe, near Whitby, are trying to raise money for a football and cricket pitch, sports pavilion and bowling green on a field next to the village school.

So far, they have managed to raise £200,000, but need £500,000 for the full project to go ahead.

Sports people in the area say the facilities being used at the moment are just not good enough, with Goldsborough Football Club using a rundown portable building with no running water or electricity as its changing room.

Mulgrave Cricket Club also needs a new pavilion and improvements to its pitch.

Mulgrave Community Sports Association, which includes representatives from both clubs and members of the community, is behind the new project, called Sport Mulgrave.

Mr Downing visited Lythe Primary School to officially launch the fundraising effort and was helped by pupils and members of the association.

Dougie Raine, sports association and football club chairman, said: "The facilities at the moment are dreadful.

"In this day and age, players expect to be able to have a shower after they have played.

"It is quite a big project for a very small community, but it is very important, because we are so lacking in facilities.

"As a committee, we have worked really, really hard over the last two-and-a-half years to put this together. I think we are about half-way there."

The first phase of the project would see an access road and car park put in place, a cricket wicket and football pitch created and new pavilion built.

The second phase will include a bowling green and a floodlit multi-sports area.

Planning permission is expected to be granted by the North York Moors National Park Authority following the completion of an archaeological dig at the site.

The sports association is also planning to bring in and train coaches once the facilities are up and running and work with a number of small schools in the area that have virtually no sports facilities.

Anyone wanting to make a donation to the project can visit www.sportmulgrave. co.uk, or contact Mr Raine on (01947) 893214.