How would you improve your community?
Well this is something I think I can say ‘been there done that & got the tee shirt’ for!
Last year saw the completion of a project that took just under two years to complete.
The old community sports area was pretty run down & only just about good enough to play tennis on. However even those courts didn’t meet the LTA requirements.
So I led the project to completely revamp the whole facility.
From literally drawing out the courts on graph paper to calculating the amount of tarmac the project was able to get under way.
I applied & won £55k in grant money to top up the funds. Then it was possible to commission the contractors. Then came the news we would need planning permission which as a conservation area meant even more work for me to draft the correct documents to gain us the permission. Once this had been achieved it was a green light to the contractors who then came in to build it.
From the first spade to the last sweep it took about 8 weeks to finish. The weather & a few other obstacles didn’t help but it was soon ready for opening.
In fact the community was so keen we opened it a month before having the official ‘opening’ ceremony.
It was not all plain sailing but now it’s there is a growing number of people using it.
The number of sports increased from tennis to include netball, football, pickleball & basketball. All the courts now meet national standards so are much safer to use.
Ironically I don’t play any of the sports on offer but as a martial artist for 20 years I understand the need to participate in an activity that provides physical exercise & social contact.
I hope my community get lots of fun & enjoyment out of it for years to come. As for me I got the challenge of doing something I didn’t know I was capable of. Who knows what the next project will be.
Moral of the story – never be afraid of having a go at something you never know what you might discover about yourself.