A rugby league club has repaired its storm-damaged roof thanks to a special grant.
Underbank Rangers, of Holmfirth, suffered major damage caused by Storm Desmond last November.
The clubhouse was out of action and the club’s NCL Division 1 fixtures had to be switched so that the first six league and cup matches were played away from home.
Underbank secured £5,000 in National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Flood Relief Fund. Sport England has set aside £200,000 to help clubs hit by floods and freak weather last winter.
The club used the money to repair the roof, ceilings, wiring and electrical installations including training lights and closed circuit television.
The grant also allowed the club to help protect against further storm damage. The north elevation wall was raised to form a parapet to shield the edge of the roof from the wind.
The club was covered by insurance but rather than a like-for-like repair the grant enabled the club to upgrade to modern standard.
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Club president Gerald Parr said: “We are delighted that Sport England has awarded this funding to us.
“The funding has allowed us to repair and re-open our club so that the community can once more benefit from these fantastic facilities.
“Currently we have players with ages ranging from five to 45, allowing us once more to take forward our 132-year-old tradition of rugby league at Underbank.”
Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, said: “We appreciate that sport isn’t a major priority when people’s lives, homes and businesses are at risk.
“But once communities are starting to get their lives back to normal, being able to use their local pitch or sports club as usual can make a real difference.
“By launching this fund quickly to help with clean up and repair costs, I hope we can give people affected by the floods and storms one less thing to worry about.”
Underbank staged their first home game of the season on April 9 against Normanton Knights.
