A WEST Devon squash club is celebrating after securing a £65,000 lottery boost to help update its facilities.

Tavistock Squash Club is among 148 local sports projects to secure a share of £10-million of National Lottery funding from Sport England's Inspired Facilities fund.

Since 2011, Inspired Facilities has been helping to breathe new life into tired community sports facilities and converting existing buildings into venues suitable for grassroots sport.

Tavistock Squash Club in Pixon Lane will upgrade its facilities which have seen little significant expenditure since they were built in 1978.

Club chairman Simon Powell said: 'We are delighted to have secured this investment, which means we can upgrade the quality of our premises to create a community sports facility Tavistock can be proud of.

'We hope the investment will encourage more people to take up squash and racketball, with particular emphasis on juniors and younger people, who can keep this facility going for many more years to come. It is another legacy from the 2012 Olympics.'

The improvements will include new insulated cladding to improve the thermal efficiency of the structure and make the building look like a modern sports facility.

A solar panel system will also be installed to provide renewable energy and the changing rooms will be refurnished and modernised. New signage and an upgraded website will also be included to make the club a community facility for the Tavistock area.

Sport England property director Charles Johnston said: 'The Inspired Facilities Fund has had a huge impact on grassroots sport across the country. Since 2011, we've invested £94-million into more than 1,800 projects to improve and refurbish sports clubs and transform non-sporting venues into vibrant community sports clubs.

'It's great to see Tavistock Squash Club join the long list of successful clubs to benefit from this fund.'

MP for West Devon Geoffrey Cox was pleased to hear of the club's funding boost.

He said: 'I am delighted that Tavistock Squash Club has succeeded in winning this substantial grant from Sport England. Coming on top of the new football facilities at Tavistock Football Club, our athletics track at Tavistock College and the prospect of an Olympic swimming pool, it shows that sport of all kind is alive and well in Tavistock and its surrounding communities.

'Squash is an exciting and popular sport and the renovation of the facilities here will, I am sure, draw even greater numbers into playing in our own local and very friendly community club.'

Many more communities are set to benefit from the hugely popular fund with the latest round of the Inspired Facilities now open.

Community and voluntary organisations, councils and schools can bid for a share of £20-million to help upgrade facilities that can be unattractive, expensive to run and difficult to maintain and to convert existing non-sporting buildings into venues that are suitable for grassroots sport.

Based on feedback from previous applicants, the Inspired Facilities Fund is now an open programme which means projects can submit applications as soon as they are ready rather than being restricted by a specific deadline.

Tavistock Squash Club is offering Times readers free taster sessions on its club nights. Just quote BID 2014.