A CELEBRATION was held this week to mark a new era in sport in Tavistock with the completion of the town's superb, all weather athletics track.

For the first time in its 25-year history Tavistock Athletic Club has a purpose-built facility to train on and its 200 members are very excited by the prospect.

The £500,000 track, which has been a collaboration between the athletics club, Tavistock College and Kelly College, is the result of three years' work and fundraising which started with hundreds of adults and children running 'The Bedford Mile' in 2006.

Sheila Houghton from the club said this was a community facility which would make a huge difference to athletics training, particularly running.

'It is a great opportunity to do speed and endurance training, avoiding the road and the traffic,' she said.

'Our usual 400m route is running around Chaucer Road and 800m route is Stannary Bridge and along Parkwood Road.

'On the track it is easy to measure distances but it is not just going to make a difference to running, it is for all types of athletics including long jump and high jump,' she said.

'We are very proud to have been part of financing it.'

The club has committed itself to raising £100,000 towards the track and still has some way to go but Mrs Houghton is confident that the club will raise the funds.

Such is the popularity of the club that there is a waiting list for the junior section and there is currently a need for coaches. Any parents who might be interested should get in touch.

The track is part of a £3 million redevelopment of sports facilities in Tavistock which include an all-weather football pitch and indoor complex, the grand opening of which will take place later this year.

Chairman of Tavistock athletics club Allan Herdman said the club had long hankered for a track but it was not until Colin Eves took over as principal of Tavistock College in 2005 that things started to happen:

Allan said: 'Ever since Colin Eves arrived at school he has had the ambition of improving the sports facilities and now we can start to deliver proper facilities as a club and move forward as a force to be reckoned with.

'We are really excited by the prospect.'