ATHLETES in West Devon are set to enjoy a major boost in facilities, thanks to a new grant just announced by Sport England.

The funding body has agreed a £10,000 cash injection for Tavistock Community Sports Centre's new athletics track. The sum has been augmented by a further £6,000 from Tavistock College. It means usage of the track can now be extended substantially, particularly for field events.

The money will be used to buy hurdles, javelins, high jump landing areas, sandpit covers, shots, discus and hammers, starters' rostrum, flags — everything needed to host competitions and develop athletic talent in the area.

Allan Herdman, chairman of Tavistock Athletic Club, said he was delighted by the news.

'It's going to make a great difference, not just for the club, but the school and people living in the area — it's fantastic news,' he said.

'The track is a brilliant facility but we have been limited by the lack of equipment. Most of our athletes just run, but we want to develop and encourage talent and now we will be able to get into the field events.

'We've got some great kids coming through and I am convinced there are people out there who may never even have thought of throwing a shot or a javelin and could have been an undiscovered Olympic talent — now the facilities will be there and you never know what we will find.

'This is going to enable us to give much better provision — and it also means we can hold competitions now.'

Mandy Govier, chairman of Tavistock College board of governors, said: 'This is superb news for the college — and for the wider community.

'The students at the school will now be able to benefit from a far better athletic experience and the provision will strengthen the PE courses that the college is now offering.

'And from a commercial point of view, we will now be able to hire our track out for competition — it is the only state of the art, national standard track in the area, so it should attract high level interest.'

Andy Barkes, sport delivery manager at Tavistock Community Sports Centre, said the grant should provide a big boost to its profile: 'The track is an absolutely fantastic facility and now that Sport England have awarded us this money, we can look to build for the future.'

Andy paid tribute to centre manager Barry Mountstevens who had worked incredibly hard on the bid, supported by Hannah Colston at West Devon Borough Council and Adam Tofield and Allan Herdman of the athletic club.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the facilities available at Tavistock Community Sports Centre can go to http://www.tcsc.myhealthclub.org">www.tcsc.myhealthclub.org or call 01822 813238.