Sefton Council have helped a Southport Sports Club buy safety netting

Sefton Council have helped a Southport Sports Club ensure they're swinging for success after contributing towards brand new safety netting for their cricket and football offer.

Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club on Fylde Road, Southport were recently given a grant of nearly £20,000 to erect much needed mesh netting to stop wayward cricket balls and footballs from leaving the grounds and hitting road users or neighbourhood properties.

A total of £19,978 was granted to the club from Sefton Council's Community Transition Fund, which now forms the first stage of a major refurbishment and improvement project the sports club are undertaking.

Bobby Addison, Chairman of Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club, thanked Sefton Council, saying without the grant they would have been forced to suspend cricket and football at the venue.

Bobby said: "Many residents around Marshside and those who have visited our club will remember our wonderful tree lined boundary with Fylde Road.

"Unfortunately we became aware of a need to remove and replace these trees as they were becoming a health and safety issue.

"Once these works were complete, we needed a long lasting alternative to protect our neighbours and we approached Sefton Council for help.

"The council were fantastic and gave us a much needed grant of £19,978 which allowed us to purchase and erect the safety netting.

"Without the council's help we may have had to suspend cricket and football at the ground, which would have had a significantly negative impact on our community.

"This is the first stage of the project and we are now looking to raise funds for a new fence and ball stop netting for our other boundary."

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: "Fleetwood Hesketh is a wonderful community sporting venue that has been serving Marshside and Southport for nearly a hundred years!

"To be able to see the physical benefits of what the Sefton Community Transition Fund can do is incredibly heartwarming and we are delighted that we have been able to play a part in ensuring both cricket and football remains a staple part of what Fleetwood Hesketh offers.

"The Community Transition Fund has been developed by Sefton Council for this exact reason; to assist community organisations on a one off basis to ensure their long term success which will be passed onto our residents and neighbourhoods."

To find out more about the fund, please visit www.sefton.gov.uk/communityfund

For more information on Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club, visit www.https://www.fleetwoodhesketh.com/