AN eight year quest to provide Okehampton with better sports facilities saw the crown jewel of the project officially open last weekend.

The new Pavilion in the Park, in Simmons Park situated by Okehampton College's all weather pitches, opened on Saturday with a jam packed day of activities for the whole community.

The building will act as a recreational hub for sport, arts, music, dance, disabled groups, training and education courses, drama and events and conferences. The building will also be home to Okehampton Community Recreation Association (OCRA) which delivers and helps develop activity and health initiatives across West Devon.

BBC Radio Devon's Matt Woodley carried out the official cutting of the ribbon and over the course of the day people had the chance to participate in and watch a range of sports, view a diverse art exhibition and enjoy refreshments. Among the highlights was a top level exhibition squash match to celebrate the re-opening of Okehampton Squash and Racketball Club.

OCRA manager Stuart Lord said: 'It feels great to officially open the building and welcome the community to come and see it. Lots of people came and there was a lot of support for it and people here are very passionate about their sport.

'The building offers up so many opportunities not just for Okehampton but for the whole of West Devon. We are receiving lots of enquiries about regional courses wanting to use the building. The Devon hockey finals for this year are going to take place here, South West netball training is planned.

'Artwork is also a big part of the pavilion, and will draw people in. Our work with SNAP (Special Needs and Parents) and other various uses means it will draw people from across West Devon and further afield.

'It has been eight long years and it is a relief but also incredibly rewarding to see it finished. There are so many people to thank who have played such important roles in us getting here and we owe them so much.'

The eight year project has delivered the multisport all weather pitches at Okehampton College for hockey, football, netball and rugby plus greatly improved facilities for cricket, tennis, gymnastics, skating, trampolining, squash and grass pitch sports.

The catalyst for the project was £600,000 of investment from Devon County Council through its Investing in Devon project back in 2008.

The bid was backed by county councillors Christine Marsh and James McInnes, and the grant also supported the all weather pitch which opened in November 2009. The site will now offer access to over 35 different sports. When fully completed, the pavilion will have cost £720,000.

There have been a number of donations to support the project including a £200,000 grant from Okehampton United Charity and £50,000 from Sport England donated from the Inspired Facilities fund, which is part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme linked to the 2012 London Olympics. The England Hockey Foundation donated £50,000, while Devon Renaissance gave a grant of £40,000. A raft of local groups have also supported the project.

Stuart Lord expressed his thanks to all the funders, David Carter, Christine Marsh, Mike Reynolds, Chris Luxton, James Stevens, John Jarvis, Sue Doidge and everyone involved in the project.

To find out more about the pavilion, call OCRA on 01837 54546, go to the website http://www.pavilioninthepark.co.uk">www.pavilioninthepark.co.uk or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]