Community sports area opens in village

A community sports area designed to bring residents of all ages together to enjoy activities, socialise and meet new people, has opened in Risby.

The new £56,000 Multi Use Games Area which is for adults and well as children, opened in the recreational grounds beside Risby Village Hall on Saturday. It offers somewhere for local residents to play tennis, netball, basketball and hockey, while in winter months it will also be used for football and cricket.

Villagers have been fundraising for a number of years towards the new games area, raising more than £11,000 towards the project. Most of the rest of the funding came because of developer contributions secured as part of the planning permission for nearby housing. St Edmundsbury Borough Cllr Susan Glossop and Suffolk County Cllr Beccy Hopfensperger each gave £500 from their locality budgets to aid the project’s completion.

Darren Matthews, chairperson of the Risby Village Hall Charity Trust which is behind the project said: “It is fantastic achievement and we are very grateful for all of the support from the various funders, including those who coordinate our fundraising events, our local borough and county councillors, and the funds from the new housing. We are a growing village, we have a lot of young people moving into Risby and the surrounding area, and I am sure that this games area will be well used.”

Cllr Glossop who represents the village on the borough council said: “This is a fabulous facility that will enable people of all ages, to get out, get active and healthy, meet new people and socialise with friends. I am proud to be able to support it but of course this is really about the brilliant efforts of all those who have been fundraising towards this and my congratulations to all involved.”

Cllr Beccy Hopfensperger, Suffolk County Councillor for the area, said: “I’m delighted that all of the hard work of those involved in this has paid off and the village has this excellent new Multi Use Games Area which will be used not just by Risby, but also residents from the surrounding area. This will help bring people of all ages together to enjoy a host of sports activities all of which has a positive impact on their health and social wellbeing.”

Bookings for the new games area can be made through the Risby Village Hall Charity Trust. Visit www.risbyvillagehall.co.uk