Local people in St Ives and throughout the district are set for a major sporting boost following the news that they will receive a cash injection of £500,000 from the Football Foundation. The grant will go towards developing a third generation (3G), floodlit artificial grass pitch and state-of-the-art sports pavilion at One Leisure St Ives Outdoor. In celebration of their award MP for Huntingdon Jonathan Djanogly, will present Huntingdonshire District Council with a large cheque at a ceremony taking place at 10.30am on Friday 11 March at One Leisure St Ives Outdoor, California Road, St Ives PE27 6SJ. Also in attendance will be Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation. Paul is a local boy who attended St Ivo School, and whose parents still live a stone’s throw from the centre on Hill Rise. When finished, the new complex will allow One Leisure which is managed by Huntingdonshire District Council the ability to offer the best possible all-year round sports facility for all ages and abilities. With the added provisions participation on the site will climb dramatically, forecasts suggest that the number of weekly male users will climb to 104% and women users to 777%. Additionally, a strong hockey community in the area means that more than 30% of all activity on site will be a multi-sport discipline. Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government via Sport England, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity. Launched in July 2000, the Foundation has so far supported around 8,000 community sports projects worth £945m. Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon, said: “I am delighted that St Ives is to benefit from this donation by the Football Foundation. I am sure that the 3G pitch and sports pavilion will prove to be a well used facility, not just for St Ives but for the whole area. This investment is testament to the hard work of Huntingdonshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council in applying for the grant that helps significantly towards the total cost of the project.” Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “On behalf of everyone at the Football Foundation, I would like to congratulate and commend Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the Huntingdonshire County FA for all the hard work that has been invested into securing this grant. As a local boy, who was often looking for places to kick a ball about in this area, it is a thrill for me to be a small part of what will be a superb addition to the community sports facilities in the town.” “Since 2000, the Football Foundation has made a huge impact on community sports facility provision right across the country. This would not have been possible without the significant investment made by our funding partners, the Premier League, The FA and the Government. In Huntingdonshire alone we have supported 51 projects worth £6.3m.” Simon Bell, General Manager of One Leisure which is managed by Huntingdonshire District Council, said: “One Leisure St Ives already offers a wide range of excellent sports facilities but the creation of the new pitch and additional changing rooms will enable us to attract even more soccer teams and groups, especially juniors, throughout the year.” “We have worked closely with Football Foundation and the Hunts FA to get the bid through and the £500k grant towards a total cost of £1.2 million will help to provide some of the best facilities in the region.” Gary Hughes, County Sports Development Officer at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Particular thanks must also go to Cambridgeshire County Council who were dual applicants along with Huntingdonshire District Council. This project continues their long history of partnership work providing top quality sports facilities at school sites in Huntingdonshire.” Photo: Jonathan Djanogly presenting the Football Foundation cheque to Councillors and officers.