A £500,000 project to build a new sports and community centre in a West Devon village took a huge step forward last week with the ceremonial digging of the first turf before construction finally takes place. Members and friends of Lamerton Parish Hall Committee have been working for almost ten years on the scheme to create a new facility for the village. It fell to the chairman of Lamerton Parish Council Michael Jefferies, to cut the first turf on the site of the new centre in village recreation field. The new centre will provide a main hall large enough to play sports like badminton, a meeting room, smaller meeting room, kitchen, store, shower and changing facilities and toilets ? all of which will be fully accessible to the disabled. It will become the base for many groups in the community, including the Little Lambs Pre-School, Lamerton WI, Lamerton Senior Citizens and Tamar Valley Thistles FC. It will also be used by the village primary school, which will be able to access the facilities far more easily and safely than those at the current village hall, on the busy main road. Valerie Hill, chairman of the parish hall committee, said the committee was ?incredibly grateful? to everyone who had supported the long years of fundraising in the area, events which have so far raised a staggering £50,000. She said the committee was indebted to to Lamerton Parish Council, West Devon Borough Council, the Community Council of Devon, the county council, Defra, Devon Rural Renaissance, SWEET UK, the Pennon Environmental Fund and WestDEN who have committed funds in excess of £460,000 towards the new centre. She said: ?The first turf that was cut has actually been preserved and is being used in a display in the flower festival at Lamerton Parish Church this weekend. ?The theme of the festival is new beginnings, so it?s very appropriate the turf will be incorporated in one of the exhibits.? The committee hopes the new centre will be up and running by spring next year ? in the mean time, the fundraising is continuing. Mrs Hill said although there was enough to build the structure and fixtures within it, items including more tables and chairs, a stage and piano were wanted. A duck race held recently raised more than £1,500 ? the regular Saturday morning coffee mornings will continue and an arts and crafts exhibition will be held at West Hilltown House Lamerton on Saturday July 8. The committee is also selling paving stones, which will be used in a large area outside the main entrance to the new centre. ?They can be engraved with names ? some people have done them as a family, some are doing them as individuals or groups or in memory of someone,? said Mrs Hill. Anyone interested in purchasing a paving stone should call Jean Eggins on 01822 612608.
