Long Wittenham Athletics Club has been given a financial boost from local councils towards the cost of a new boiler and hot water system which have broken down.
South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC), Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and Long Wittenham Parish Council have come together to help the club install a new system this winter. The club has applied to SODC for £1,690 and is confident its application will win approval.
The village’s county councillor Lynda Atkins has promised £250 from her special council-allocated budget and the parish council has agreed a grant of £500. The club will add another £750 from its own resources.
In addition to replacing the hot water system the club plans to insulate the loft area to ensure that there’s no repeat of last winter when a burst pipe flooded part of the pavilion causing considerable damage.
In the long term the club has plans to extend the rear of the pavilion in Bodkin’s Field with improved changing facilities plus the addition of a women’s referee room, a new women’s toilet and a multi-access toilet.
More use is being made of the pavilion and outdoor facilities as the club reaches out to embrace the community. There is a new weekly women’s running group, a monthly mothers and toddlers coffee morning and the pavilion is proving popular for parties.
