Norfolk County Council grant lands Carleton Rode Jubilee Hall new 3G football pitch

A village sports club has unveiled a new 3G football pitch after securing tens of thousands of pounds in community support grants.

Carleton Rode Jubilee Hall, in Mill Road, opened its state-of-the art pitch last month after receiving a number of generous grants from the National Lottery, Sport England, Saffron Housing Association, Carleton Rode Parish Council, Bernard Sunley Foundation and Norfolk County Council.

The £36,000 project saw its previously uneven and dangerous hard court replaced with a new multi-purpose surface, which will accommodate a range of community sports, including football, hockey, tennis and basketball, with the added feature of all-weather floodlights to allow play over the darker months.

Lucy Kershaw, a fundraising volunteer at Carlton Rode Jubilee Hall and Social Club Committee, said that they had spent 18 months raising money for the pitch to address a dearth of fit-for-purpose playing surfaces in south Norfolk.

“There’s a real shortage of 3G pitches round here,” she said. “My son plays football and parents and coaches are always complaining that there’s nowhere for the kids to train.

“They need somewhere where they can meet up and kick a football about.”

Just over a third of the money – £12,680 – came from the county council’s social infrastructure fund, which has handed out £1 million to 25 different organisations across the county for new initiatives or improvements to existing facilities.

Council leader Andrew Proctor said: “Our county’s voluntary and community groups are an essential part of Norfolk’s infrastructure and that has been demonstrated by the excellent work they have done and continue to do in the pandemic.

“The funding through the social infrastructure fund will support some of Norfolk’s most vulnerable people and communities and enable them to safely come together again to enjoy a range of activities in improved facilities.

“The number and quality of the applications we received this year proved that Norfolk is full of great initiatives that will really benefit our residents.

“The £1 million we have awarded will provide a real boost to the successful projects and allow them to get new ideas off the ground or accelerate what they’re already doing.”

With the pitch at Carleton Rode Jubilee Hall now open for use, Mrs Kershaw said the committee’s focus would now be on encouraging people to use it.

“Getting people on to the court and using it is phase two of the project,” she said.

“It’s really important because there’s not been a huge amount for youngsters to do over the past year and a half.”

The committee has already established a range of new and inclusive sports for everyone to try, including walking football for older people and tots tennis for toddlers, to help reconnect the community following the lifting of Covid restrictions.

Anyone interested in hiring the court should email crode.jubileehall@gmail.com or call them on 01953 788219.